Charter Committee Annual Report to the Shared Governance Council

Committee: Research Council
Report Year: 2025-26

Committee Chair(s)Scott Shaw (Chair); Ariel M. Aloe (past Chair)
Committee Members

  • Faculty: Carrie Figdor (Philosophy), Ravinder Gaddam (Internal Medicine), Seth King (Teaching and Learning), Kelly Messingham (Dermatology), Yasar Onel (Physics and Astronomy), Tony Panos (Surgery), Gary Pierce (HHP), Fatima Toor (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Robert B Wallace (Epidemiology and Internal Medicine)

     

  • Staff: Mihaela Bojin (UIRF), Majid Nada (SHL), Yelena Perkhounkova (College of Nursing)

     

  • Students: Kathit Patel (Undergraduate), Brendan Powers (Graduate), Paras Gaur (Postdoc)
Committee Charge

The Council shall be governed by the terms of the General Charter. In addition, the Council shall:

  • Advise in the formulation, review, and application of policy and guidelines for university research and economic development and its funding both from within and without the university;
  • Advise on questions concerning the compliance of research with university policies;
  • Advise in developing methods for informing university members about research opportunities and for stimulating, evaluating, and rewarding good research;
  • Provide a forum to which faculty and students may refer questions and recommendations concerning university research policies and procedures. (https://opsmanual.uiowa.edu/governance/university-iowa/advisory-bodies/research-council-charter)
Current Year Meeting Dates2025: 11th September, 24th October, 14th November
2026: 23rd January, 18th February, 25th March, 23rd April 
Please indicate the typical frequency of meetings (e.g., first Tuesday of month at 4 pm). If there are subcommittees, please indicate the frequency of those meetings, too.Whole-council meetings are held approximately monthly during the fall and spring semesters. Leadership meetings are also monthly, 1-2 weeks prior to whole-council meetings
Current Year Activities

The Research Council discussed and addressed multiple issues, including: 

Research compliance in data security, 

University space policy, 

Updates to campus research misconduct policy, 

Accessibility requirements for research groups and facilities, and 

Effective use of campus research equipment (Surplus and CAM). 

The committee also hosted discussions between GAO and DSP, worked to build a good relationship with our new VPR, David Schwebel, and to implement our new SOP document for setting agenda, meetings, and leadership structure in the committee. 

Topics your committee will address during the coming yearThe Council plans to continue development of tools with CAM and Surplus to find more efficient ways to use capital equipment on campus, and to engage the broader campus community in research related issues.  
Other issues of concernNone
What should we tell applicants for this committee regarding expectations of members (anticipated workload, existence of subcommittees, etc.)?The Research Council Operations Manual describes expectations for members.
Does your committee have a website? If so, what is the URL?https://research.uiowa.edu/research-council
What is your process for passing on previous agendas and minutes to the new committee chair(s)?The Council leadership team meets to set meeting agenda and shares these with the full Council several days before each meeting. VPR office administrators, Michael Weaver and Lauren Galliart, maintain the Research Council website and facilitate the access to OneDrive and Teams shared spaces which hold meeting minutes.
Recommendations, if any, to the shared governance groups.None