University of Notre Dame researchers Jarek Nabrzyski and Jennifer Tank have each been appointed to the newly created position of Vice President for Research (VPR) Fellow within Notre Dame Research. Nabrzyski and Tank will serve in the position for 18 months as they help to identify synergies and intersections between research units across the University. Their goal is to pinpoint opportunities for excellence and enhanced impact, with a special focus on the priorities outlined in the University's new strategic framework.

Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, said "Our new strategic framework calls upon us to 'become better at thinking as an institution.' That is precisely what these two phenomenal researchers will help us do over the next year and a half. They have successfully led two of NDR’s most innovative and impactful research hubs. I look forward to them joining my Senior Leadership Team and working even more closely together to build on key strengths while becoming more connected and collaborative."

Jarek Nabrzyski is the founding director of Notre Dame's Center for Research Computing (CRC) and a concurrent professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Nabrzyski will engage with colleagues in the CRC, the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Hesburgh Libraries, and the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society to define and act upon the University’s immediate and future needs in computing and data infrastructure.

Jennifer Tank is the Ludmilla F., Stephen J., and Robert T. Galla Professor of Biological Sciences and director of the Environmental Change Initiative (ECI). Tank will lead efforts in ecological and environmental research. She will foster continuity and coherence between ECI, the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC), and related research happening across Notre Dame’s colleges and schools. In addition to seeking out new organizational and research development opportunities, she will work to further enhance the University's strengths in water-related research.

Additional VPR Fellows will be selected on an 18-month cycle. The Fellows will focus on new and emerging opportunities to align NDR with the University’s goal to advance human understanding through scholarship and research that seeks to heal, unify, and enlighten. To learn more, contact research@nd.edu.

Contact: Brett Beasley, Writer and Editorial Program Manager

Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame

bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183

research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch

About Notre Dame Research: The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.