Xiaolin Cheng selected for new research development program
Xiaolin Cheng, PhD, associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, was among 21 Ohio State researchers appointed to the inaugural Growing Research Opportunities (GRO) Academy cohort.
This new program, created by the university’s Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK), addresses modern complex problems through building interdisciplinary research teams with participants that will leverage their own discipline’s knowledge. The 21 members of the GRO Academy cohort are mostly mid-career associates from multiple fields within Ohio State. The reflected subjects for the cohort include health sciences, engineering, natural and physical sciences, law, social and behavioral sciences, humanities, education and mathematical sciences.
“It’s imperative for principal investigators to bridge the traditional gaps between disciplines to harness breakthrough research,” said Grace Wang, executive vice president for ERIK. “The skills they develop in the academy will help set them apart as they begin to lead diverse, complex research teams.”
The GRO Academy will equip Dr. Cheng and the rest of the cohort with crucial skills to build impactful and transformative research to tackle complex issues through interdisciplinary collaboration. The cohort will engage in skill-building educational sessions that will teach them how to build diverse and inclusive teams, hold colleagues accountable through effective communication, create shared visions and goals, manage conflict and build collaboration and trust. This opportunity will help cohorts generate compelling proposals and scholarly pursuits for future research at Ohio State.
“Our GRO Academy will provide the tools faculty need to not only increase their research activity but also expand their research leadership capabilities and catalyze their pursuit of innovative, high-impact multidisciplinary research that benefits society,” said Dorota Grejner-Brzezińska, interim vice president for ERIK. “It is yet another way the university is investing in developing our research capacity and enabling the faculty success that will translate to accelerated discoveries and innovations.”
“This opportunity will greatly help me develop team leadership skills to catalyze new collaborations, produce compelling collaborative proposals and eventually boost my research career in drug discovery,” Dr. Cheng said.