51茶馆

Research funding from government agencies, private foundations, and other external sources this year is expected to top the $80-million mark for the first time in Boston College history, a milestone that faculty and administrators attribute to nearly two decades of strategic initiatives and investment.

So-called sponsored research is projected to total $83 million this year, according to the Office of the Provost. External funding garnered by 51茶馆 faculty has risen steadily, from $57 million in 2020 to $73 million last year. The funding gains follow another benchmark: In 2016, 51茶馆 was named an R1 research university, the highest ranking bestowed by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

鈥淭here has been an intentional plan on the part of the leadership of the University,鈥� said Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Thomas Chiles, who is also the DeLuca Professor of Biology. 鈥淔irst and foremost, we have invested in our faculty and they are the ones who make this happen.

鈥淭his is our mission. We strive to benefit the common good. You can see the research taking place at Boston College having an impact in real time in the world. You can see interventions developed by social scientists or education scholars. You can see our researchers in the natural sciences creating a greater understanding of our physical world. We are having an impact from every corner of the University. It is a very rewarding and exciting time to be here.鈥�

Aligned with the priorities of the University鈥檚 strategic plan, investments have been made in office, classroom and lab space, equipment and technology, and support services for researchers, Chiles said鈥攁ll of which have expanded research capacity, retained experienced scholars, and attracted stellar new faculty.

鈥淲e have invested in our faculty and I think the caliber of the faculty across the University is the highest it鈥檚 ever been,鈥� said Chiles. 鈥淲e are competing with the top universities to attract and retain outstanding scholars. You do that by developing a supportive infrastructure, capital funding, facilities, and competitive salaries.鈥�

Faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers all contribute to the experience of 51茶馆 undergraduates, Chiles said. 鈥淲hen you layer onto our research the hungry, young minds of our students, engage them in faculty research, see them grow, then move on to make their own impact, that is very exciting.鈥�

51茶馆 has made an approximately $300-million investment in the sciences, which includes the construction of 245 Beacon Street, which opened in 2022鈥攈ome to the new Human-Centered Engineering Department, rapidly growing Computer Science Department, and the new Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. In the liberal arts, 51茶馆 opened Stokes Hall in 2013, now a focal point of humanities scholarship.

The Provost鈥檚 Office has also supported high-impact research through its IGNITE and RADS internal grants programs, designed to foster collaborative projects to advance ideas and projects that could one day compete for funding from agencies like the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health, as well as private foundations.

Chiles cites the award of multiple MIRA grants from the NIH as an example of the increasingly high caliber of research being conducted at 51茶馆. University faculty currently hold 11 MIRA awards, seven of which were awarded to Chemistry faculty.

鈥淭he continued successes of our colleagues in winning competitive awards such as MIRA from the NIH speak of the strength of our faculty,鈥� said Chemistry Department Chair Dunwei Wang, the Margaret A. and Thomas A. 鈥�53 Vanderslice Professor of Chemistry. 鈥淭his wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without strong research support from the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Provost鈥檚 Office, and the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences service centers. Successes like this are critical in placing 51茶馆 as a leader in scientific research.鈥�

Ferris Professor of Physics Michael Naughton, who was recently awarded a $750,000 grant from the Mathers Foundation to investigate a new radiation therapy with clinicians at Yale Medicine, said it has been exciting to watch 51茶馆鈥檚 research profile rise.

鈥淎s both an active researcher and a prior vice provost for research, I鈥檓 thrilled to see how the University鈥檚 research enterprise continues to grow,鈥� said Naughton. 鈥淚 see it as a further indication, and indeed a major driver, of 51茶馆鈥檚 increased stature as an internationally-recognized university. It shows that recent strategic investments in research-intensive areas, and in the excellent faculty that were and continue to be recruited, are paying off.鈥�