Report of the University Science Strategy Committee

Thursday, June 14, 2018

To the Yale Community,

One of Yale’s principal focuses is advancing scientific research and education to push the frontier of human knowledge and discovery. We emphasize the importance of supporting our faculty and students to address some of the most significant scientific and technological challenges of the day. The sciences, broadly speaking, are vital to our mission to improve the world today and for future generations.

Last year, we convened and charged the University Science Strategy Committee, chaired by Scott Strobel, to identify areas where Yale can lead in science and engineering. The committee solicited feedback from across the university. Members of the committee held dozens of faculty panels and listening sessions, reviewed nearly 300 individual or departmental suggestions, and conducted follow-up conversations with more than 100 faculty members. The committee deliberated and finalized its recommendations over the spring semester, and delivered its report to us last week.

We are delighted to share the committee’s report with you. The committee identified five priority areas: integrative data science, quantum science, neuroscience, inflammation, and environmental and evolutionary sciences. It also recommended four cross-cutting investments: graduate student support, diversity throughout the STEM pipeline, instrumentation development, and core facilities. Many other stimulating ideas are presented as well. We encourage you to read the report and share your feedback through this webform.

In the coming months, we will be gathering your perspectives and planning the implementation of the committee’s recommendations based on your suggestions and on space and resource considerations. Peter Schiffer will lead the collaborative efforts to determine the committee’s recommended actions that can be enacted immediately, those that will rely on enabling projects, and those contingent on fundraising.

We are grateful to Scott Strobel and the other members of the University Science Strategy Committee for the considerable time and effort they devoted to this important and challenging work and for their dedication to advancing research and educational excellence at Yale. We also appreciate all the members of the Yale community who shared their expertise and wisdom with the committee. We look forward to working with all of you to build on our extraordinary foundation in the sciences—and the arts, humanities, and social sciences—to solve problems, discover new opportunities, and lead the charge toward a better future.

Sincerely,

Peter Salovey
President
Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology

Ben Polak
Provost
William C. Brainard Professor of Economics