Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Working Group to Review Cluster Hire Initiative

Thursday, October 21, 2021, By Ellen de Graffenreid
Share
Research and Creativescholarships

Provost Gretchen Ritter today announced the members of the Cluster Hire Initiative Working Group. The working group report, to be delivered in January 2022, will include a review of each individual cluster and the program as a whole.

Cluster hires are hires of multiple scholars into at least two schools/colleges in related areas, based on shared, multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research interests. Cluster hires and academic cluster creation serve to align the University’s research to extramural funding trends, strengthen research, scholarship and creative activity, enhance faculty diversity and develop opportunities for student research and learning that responds to societal challenges. Seven interdiscipliary clusters were originally created in 2018 through a faculty-led process. Three additional clusters were designated in early 2020.

The purpose of the working group’s review is to ensure the program is structured to meet its original objectives. These include aligning research to extramural funding trends, increasing research, scholarship and creative productivity, fostering valuable and sustainable interdisciplinary programs, and bringing new scholars into the University’s areas of existing or emerging distinctive excellence.

The working group is co-chaired by Jamie Winders, professor of geography and the environment and director of the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute, and Cole Smith, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Other members include:

  • Duncan Brown (ex officio), Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences; chair of the Senate Committee on Research
  • Carol Faulkner, professor of history, associate dean for academic affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
  • Lisa Manning, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences; director of the BioInspired Institute
  • Katherine McDonald, professor of public health and associate dean of research, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
  • Ramesh Raina (ex officio), professor of biology, College of Arts and Sciences; interim vice president for research
  • P. Raj, Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Chair, Department of Marketing, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
  • Dacheng Ren, Stevenson Endowed Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and associate dean for research and graduate programs, College of Engineering and Computer Science
  • Danielle Smith, professor of African American studies, College of Arts and Sciences; director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program
  • Author

Ellen de Graffenreid

  • Recent
  • A&S Scientists Explore Protein Droplets as a New Way to Understand Disease
    Thursday, August 28, 2025, By News Staff
  • Hendricks Chapel Chaplains, Staff and Students Attend Interfaith America Leadership Summit
    Thursday, August 28, 2025, By Dara Harper
  • Lender Center Faculty Fellow Empowers High Schoolers Via Math, Maps, Data Literacy
    Thursday, August 28, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • Point of Contact Marks 50 Years With Landmark Exhibition
    Thursday, August 28, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • Newly Formed Center for Student Excellence Brings Together, Enhances Student Support Programs
    Thursday, August 28, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin

More In Campus & Community

Lender Center Faculty Fellow Empowers High Schoolers Via Math, Maps, Data Literacy

Armed with troves of data, maps and charts, graphic visualizations and mathematical skills, groups of local high schoolers are taking innovative approaches to understanding and inspiring solutions to pressing community problems. They are participants in a program led by Nicole…

Newly Formed Center for Student Excellence Brings Together, Enhances Student Support Programs

Syracuse University’s new Center for Student Excellence, which launches with the start of the 2025-26 academic year, brings together student support programs from across campus and builds on the synergies between them with the mission of helping students thrive and…

Renée Crown Honors Program Announces New Professors, New Coursework

The Renée Crown University Honors Program provides an innovative community where high-achieving students at Syracuse University can hone their research and academic skills in a challenging yet supportive environment. Through specialized offerings of cutting-edge courses, lectures and opportunities for independent…

Remembering the Legacy of Elizabeth (Liz) DuRoss Liddy

Elizabeth (Liz) DuRoss Liddy, dean emerita of the School of Information Studies (iSchool) and former interim vice chancellor and provost, passed away on Aug. 21. A pioneering scholar and researcher in natural language processing, she was 81. Liddy G’77, G’88…

Navigate Syracuse Like a Pro: Your Digital Toolkit for University Life

Whether you’re a first-year student or returning to campus, staying connected and informed is key to a successful year. From mobile apps that streamline your daily routine to social media accounts that keep you in the loop, this guide highlights…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.