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Success Stories
Testimonials
The Office of Research Development (ORD) is pleased to have been involved in the development of many successful proposals that led to exciting new research initiatives at Northwestern and in the Chicago region.
- In 2009 Northwestern was awarded two full $19M (each) Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. The Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center, led by Professor Michael Wasielewski, revolutionizes the design, synthesis and control of molecules, materials and processes in order to dramatically improve conversion of sunlight into electricity and fuels. ANSER researchers address the basic solar energy conversion steps of charge photogeneration, separation and recombination, as well as charge and energy transfer among molecules, across interfaces and through nanostructured architectures. The center focuses on the science needed to create integrated molecular systems for artificial photosynthesis, to control interfacial processes critical in organic photovoltaics, and to enable three-dimensional nanostructured materials organization for solar fuels and hybrid photovoltaics. The Center for Integrated Training in Far-from-equilibrium and Adaptive Materials (CITFAM), led by Associate Professor Bartosz Grzybowski, focuses on synthesizing, characterizing and understanding new classes of materials under conditions far from equilibrium that are relevant to solar energy conversion, catalysis and storage of electricity and hydrogen. CITFAM combines new research on non-equilibrium systems with nanoscale materials science. The combination of theory, simulations and experimentation allows center researchers to develop materials that are not only structurally robust but also have the ability to change and optimize their performance in response to environmental stimuli.
- The Skin Disease Research Core (SDRC), directed by Professor Amy Paller, supports research excellence in epithelial biology by fostering cooperative interactions among the scientists of the Epithelial Biology Research Initiative; facilitating the lines of communication between the basic and clinical scientists so that translational research collaborations can be brought to fruition; and solidifying and expanding the research base in investigations related to epithelial biology. Established in 2009 with a $3M award from the NIH, the SDRC provides research core facilities; resources for pilot and feasibility projects; a facilitated pathway for transitioning projects from the laboratory to the clinical arena; and an administrative facility that coordinates university-wide epithelial-related activities. The long-term goals of the SDRC are to provide novel insights and approaches into normal and pathological epithelial processes, thus realizing our ultimate objective of the delivery of first-class translational research in epithelial biology, ultimately resulting in better health care for patients with diseases of the skin.
- In January 2008, Northwestern signed an MOU with Argonne National Laboratory to establish the joint Institute for Sustainable Practices (ISP) led by Professor Kimberly Gray at Northwestern. ISP will promote and facilitate interdisciplinary education and research in systems thinking and analysis to identify novel opportunities for the sustainable use of natural resources, raw materials and energy. Interactions among the diverse membership of the ISP will provide the foundation for the type of design and innovation that allows not only sustainable growth and profitability, but also the preservation and protection of ecological and human populations.
- With a $31M NIAID contract award to Professor Wayne Anderson, PhD, and an inter-institutional, international team, for a Structural Genomics Center of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern established a large-scale structural genomics center for infectious diseases. This Center applies state-of-the-art high-throughput structural biology technologies to experimentally characterize the three-dimensional atomic structure of targeted proteins from pathogens in the NIAID Category A-C priority lists and organisms causing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The Center provides a high throughput pipeline for structure determination that will carry out all steps of the process from target selection through structure deposition and will determine over 375 structures during the five-year period of the contract. One focus of the Center will be determining the structures of complexes of the target proteins with small molecule ligands such as natural substrates, cofactors, and drug candidates. This initiative strengthens the partnership with the Advanced Photon Source and structural biologists at Argonne National Laboratory.
- The $21M Oncofertility Consortium: Fertility Preservation for Women, led by Professor Teresa Woodruff, PhD, within the Institute for Women's Health Research, was established through the NIH Roadmap Interdisciplinary Research Consortia program. This interdisciplinary, inter-institutional consortium is a premier example of how Northwestern leads in translational and team research activities. Achievements in reproductive medical research cannot be done by any one individual or even groups working in isolation. The Oncofertility Consortium consists of biophysicists, biomaterials biologists, mathematicians, reproductive biologists, reproductive endocrinologists, gynecologist oncologists, hematologic oncologists, bioethicists, social scientists, reproductive law scholars, and organizational management experts all interacting across institutional and disciplinary borders, and each consortium activity proposed engages all members of the team.
- The $208M NSF Petascale Computing Environment for Science and Engineering in partnership with Great Lakes Consortium for High Performance Computing led by the NCSA at UIUC, where the consortium will work with IBM to build a new Blue Waters supercomputer. ORD worked closely with NUIT's International Center for Advanced Internet Research (iCAIR) on the initiative.
- The $20M NCI-funded Nanomaterials for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics' Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNE) that advances nanotechnology as a critical driver of advances in oncology and cancer research leading to near-term benefits for patients. Multidisciplinary teams of nano-scientists, cancer biologists, engineers and clinicians comprise the center and work collaboratively to develop nanomaterials and nanodevices for cancer therapeutics, drug delivery, imaging, diagnostics and monitoring applications. The Center capitalizes on the very strong partnership between the University's International Institute for Nanotechnology, led by Professor Chad Mirkin, PhD, and the medical school's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by Professor Steven Rosen, MD.
- The $1.4M Regenerative Medicine Training Program, an interdisciplinary research training program of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research Training for a New Interdisciplinary Workforce initiative. Led by Professor John Kessler, MD,, the training program is for pre- and postdoctoral trainees and provides integrated training in the physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering with the goal of creating a new generation of scientists in regenerative medicine who can focus on overcoming the obstacles to developing techniques for repairing or regenerating damaged tissues and organs.
- The NIDDK-funded NIH Islet Cell Resource as the lynchpin activity of the Chicago Islet Consortium, which Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago comprise. The overall goal of the Resource is to advance the field of human islet isolation for basic research and clinical transplantation. Professor Dixon Kaufman, MD, is the lead at Northwestern.
- The Chicago Consortium for Art History was formed to bring together the collaborative efforts of Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Art Institute, and the Newberry Library. The regional Consortium aims to explore joint efforts in curricular development, fellowships, lectures, and art history research. A generous grant from The Terra Foundation for American Art helped establish the Consortium and funds activities. Professor Sarah Frasier, PhD, is the lead at Northwestern.
Testimonials
- Alicia Loffler, Director Center for Biotechnology
The Kellogg Center for Biotechnology Management wouldn't have been able to execute the Stem Cell Education Symposium without the Office of Research Development (ORD). This Program required building a partnership with regional and national institutions that have different needs and incentives: from high school teachers to scientists and business people. The ORD team had the knowledge and sophistication to manage all the relationships efficiently and put together an high quality program. This initiative is now being used as a benchmark for many other universities.
- Wayne Anderson, Professor, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry
The Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases would never have been successful and awarded $31.2 million from NIAID without the help of the Office for Research Development. The preparation of the complex multi-institutional budget with all the needed supporting information and documentation, not to mention the modified budgets that were required during negotiations with NIH, could not have been accomplished under the tight time constraints had it not been for the team assembled by the ORD to assist me.
- Paul Hanle, President of Biotechnology Institute
We were delighted to partner with the Office of Research Development on the
Chicagoland Stem Cell Education Symposium. They provided complete
management of the project in Chicago. We found it absolutely essential to
have a professional office that could coordinate the many scientific
collaborators from around the region and provide the leadership necessary to
stay on schedule while maintaining the quality we all expected. ORD did all
this really well. It was a bonus for the Biotechnology Institute that ORD
already knew the leaders in the areas we wanted to engage and so created a
collaborative atmosphere from the beginning. We really appreciated all that
the members of the team contributed to this very
successful project.
- Neal Blair, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
ORD was indispensable in the preparation of our 200-page interdisciplinary
multi-institutional research proposal. We were able to focus on the science
because ORD took ownership of other components such as institutional
support, IT, and education/outreach plans. The service and assistance
provided is an invaluable resource that shouldn't be underestimated.
- Teresa Woodruff, Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology
The Office of Research Development provides critical and timely support for newly forming interdisciplinary teams through strategic alliances, research news and faculty connections. ORD is a critical part of the success of our research programs.
- Linda Emanuel, Director, Buehler Center on Aging
The ORD staff are fantastically helpful. Our proposal would be less than 80% of its current quality without them. They provide a depth of experience and good ideas that range from who to contact in the institutional realm to what to put on the written page.
- Thomas O'Halloran, Director, Chemistry Life Processes Institute & Associate Director, Basic Sciences, Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Both the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute have benefitted significantly from the "can do" attitude and committed efforts of the Office of Research Development team. A number of federal and foundation grants proposals have been submitted and awarded (including the CCNE center grant and the Keck ISL grant) over the last several years with the assistance of this team. Their approach works for us at two levels: they scan for funding opportunities and can also lay the ground work for large grant submissions. The ORD staff has come up with new opportunities for us by monitoring grant agency announcements. They have also been instrumental in helping us organize interdisciplinary teams (via intercampus minisymposia) for an impending RFA from the NIH for the development of new Physical Sciences & Oncology Research Centers. This early stage assistance from ORD gives Northwestern investigators a significant advantage in the intense competition for these Center awards.
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