About

Iowa State Research

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) advances the Iowa State University research mission in collaboration with partners in colleges, interdisciplinary research centers, and central administration. We organize, facilitate, and provide strategic direction to maximize the ability of faculty to create new knowledge, translate their discoveries, and engage in exceptional research careers. To create an efficient and effective research enterprise, we also offer facilitation services to support sponsored funding, responsible research, and research integrity.

Our mission is to promote a vibrant and supportive environment for scholarly and artistic endeavors, foster ethical conduct of research, and integrate research into the education, outreach, and engagement missions of the university.

Iowa State University research began by modernizing agriculture, but today, our researchers conduct cutting-edge scholarly work across many disciplines to address 21st century challenges and create a healthy and sustainable future for Iowa, the nation, and the world.

Take the revolutionary vaccines being developed by our Nanovaccine Institute, aimed at lowering costs and enhancing disease protection. Or the combination of data and agriculture that is transforming how we balance production, sustainability, and profitability, courtesy of the Plant Sciences Institute and the Data Driven Discovery for Agricultural Innovation team. Then there is Ames Laboratory, which excels at research in rare earth and other materials critical to our nation’s energy supply — and is the only U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory co-located on a university campus.

These efforts and many more make Iowa State University a trailblazing research institution dedicated to making the world a better place.

The Office of the Vice President for Research is here to advance research excellence and the creative activity of Iowa State University faculty, staff, and students, and is currently led by Vice President for Research Peter Dorhout.

The current organizational chart for for the Iowa State OVPR can be viewed here.