Advancing Ambition
The Research Institute was established to grow Saint Louis University’s research capabilities and affirm the University’s path to becoming the world’s leading Jesuit research university. The Institute’s vision is closely aligned with SLU’s strategic plan, which calls for the University to make research a core part of its identity and to increase total research output.
Research by the Numbers
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200+Years of Discovery
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$53MGrant Revenue
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20+Regional Partnerships
Made Possible By a Historic Commitment
The Research Institute was established following a historic gift from Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield in August 2018: $50 million — the largest single gift in the University’s history — to accelerate research growth at the University and place SLU on the path to becoming a preeminent research university.
Goals of the Research Institute
- Achieve and sustain annual research expenditure growth that places SLU among the fastest growing universities in the country
- Establish eminence in strategic, university-wide research priority areas
- Raise the profile and reputation of SLU as a world-class research university in the St. Louis area and around the world
- Recruit and retain world-class research leaders and provide significant investments in their work
- Leverage the initial gift from Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield and Rex Sinquefield to increase federal, industry, and philanthropic funding for research done at SLU
Research Leaders
The Research Institute works closely with faculty research leaders from a variety of disciplines to ensure the support it offers to the University community aligns with researchers’ needs and ambitions. The following three research leaders represent different aspects of SLU’s research enterprise — science and engineering, scholarship and the humanities, and the medical sciences, respectively — and they each have appointments with the Research Institute, enabling them to facilitate research growth that aligns with both the strengths and capabilities of the colleges and the University’s larger research ambitions.
Jenna Gorlewicz, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation, School of Science and Engineering
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Learn more about Gorlewicz's work in this role in the 2022 Research Institute Annual Impact Report.
Claire Gilbert, Ph.D.
Director of Scholarly Research Initiatives, Office of the Vice President for Research
Associate Professor, History
Learn more about Gilbert's work in this role in the 2022 Research Institute Annual Impact Report.
Adriana Montaño, Ph.D.
Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine
Professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Learn more about Montaño's work in this role in the 2022 Research Institute Annual Impact Report.
Vasit Sagan, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President for Geospatial Science, Office of the Vice President for
Research
Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Vasit Sagan, Ph.D., associate professor of geospatial science, was named associate
vice president for geospatial science in the Office of the Vice President for Research
in 2023. In this role, he works with University and faculty leaders to advance SLU’s institutional geospatial
priorities, including faculty and staff recruitment, educational programs, research
infrastructure, and faculty grant support. This assignment solidifies SLU’s commitment
to advanced geospatial science as a key University priority.
Sagan is also the director of Saint Louis University's Remote Sensing Lab. His current research focuses on developing state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS
tools, AI/machine learning, climate change detection and geospatial analytics. Sagan’s
work involves utilizing these tools and technologies to address the growing issue
of food and water insecurity.
Institute Directors
Since the establishment of the Research Institute, SLU researchers have launched a number of interdisciplinary institutes that tackle an array of global challenges — from drug discovery to water research. The following faculty leaders serve as the directors of these institutes.
Nadine Alameh, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Taylor Geospatial Institute
Nadine Alameh, Ph.D., is the inaugural executive director of the Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI). TGI is a first-of-its-kind entity in the geospatial ecosystem – designed to fuel research,
collaboration and impact. With a legacy investment from Andrew C. Taylor and the commitment
of eight academic and research institutions led by Saint Louis University, TGI is
the cornerstone of establishing a global center of geospatial excellence in St. Louis.
As executive director, Alameh serves as the principal point-of-contact for business
with TGI and is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations and administration
of TGI according to the policies, procedures, and strategic direction devised in concert
with TGI's Governing Council.
Learn more about Alameh's background in the 2023 Research Institute Annual Impact Report.
Amanda Cox, Ph.D., P.E.
Director, WATER Institute
Associate Professor, Civil Engineering
Amanda Cox, Ph.D., P.E., is the director of the Water Access Technology, Environment and Resources (WATER) Institute at SLU. Located in the City of St. Louis and at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the WATER Institute aims to advance water innovation to serve humanity.
Cox’s own research activities cover a wide range of topics related to water movement. She has conducted studies on river engineering, sediment transport, urban drainage, stream restoration, bridge pier scour, hydraulic structures and erosion control. Cox uses a variety of research methods including numerical simulations, physical modeling, direct field measurements and remote sensing. Through her research, she applies advanced technologies in novel ways to observe and model water and sediment flow behavior.
John Tavis, Ph.D.
Director, SLU Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation
Professor, Molecular Virology
John Tavis, Ph.D., professor of molecular virology, is director of the SLU Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation (SLU-IDBI). SLU-IDBI is a multidisciplinary association of researchers with a shared interest in drug and biotherapeutic discovery and development to address unmet patient needs.
Tavis has studied the HBV replication mechanisms, HBV reverse transcriptase’s metabolism and non-catalytic roles in the cell, and biochemistry of viral reverse transcription since 1992. He serves as the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council for the molecular biology of the Hepatitis B Viruses Meeting and as a member of the Council for Extramural Grants at the American Cancer Society. His research focus is currently on basic biochemistry of the HBV ribonuclease H and developing drugs to suppress HBV replication that target this essential enzyme. Notably, Tavis received the Society’s Mission Hero Award in 2018 for his efforts on behalf of the American Cancer Society.
Andrew. F. Hall, D.Sc.
Director, SLU Center for Additive Manufacturing (SLU-CAM)
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Andrew F. Hall, D.Sc., associate professor of biomedical engineering, is the director of the SLU Center for Additive Manufacturing (SLU-CAM), which is a resource for 3D printing, computer-aided design and related activities, available to faculty, students and the larger St. Louis community.
Hall’s own research interests since joining SLU include medical imaging, medical devices, and medical robotics. He works with interventional radiologists to optimize pro-operative imaging protocols to support emerging minimally invasive procedures. His lab is also working on image-guided robotic therapies for pedicle screw placement and laminectomy in the spine. His lab uses 3D printing extensively, including the development of 3D-printed objects with controllable radiopacity and dissolvable 3D-printed tissue molds derived from CT images. Finally, Hall works on the development of smartphone-based medical devices.
Daniel Hoft, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Center for Vaccine Development
Director, Stephen C. Peiper and Zi-Xuan Wang Institute for Vaccine Science and Policy
Daniel Hoft, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy and Immunology, Adorjan Endowed Chair of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, director of the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD), and principal investigator for the SLU Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU), one of only 10 elite NIH-funded units in the country. Under his leadership, the CVD has built upon its 30-year legacy of community-centered vaccine research. In December 2019, the NIH renewed SLU’s VTEU status, and in April 2020, a generous donation from Stephen C. Peiper, M.D. (Med ’77) and Zi-Xuan Wang, Ph.D. established a new center of excellence under Hoft’s leadership: the Stephen C. Peiper and Zi-Xuan Wang Institute for Vaccine Science and Policy.
In addition to his proven leadership, Hoft has earned national recognition for his contributions to science. Hoft has studied whether mucosal vaccinations and booster vaccinations enhance immunity induced by conventional vaccination. He was the first to demonstrate that human γ9δ2 T cells develop protective memory responses after vaccination, a paradigm shift that provides an important new approach for tuberculosis vaccine development. Among his contributions to the field are: the development of improved tuberculosis vaccines, the development of vaccines for Chagas Disease, pandemic influenza vaccine development, and conducting multiple phase 1-3 COVID-19 vaccine trials.
Steven Rogers, Ph.D.
Director, SLU/YouGov Poll
Associate Professor, Political Science
Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for Translational Neuroscience
William Beaumont Professor and Chair, Pharmacology and Physiology
Mary Dunn, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Research on Global Catholicism
Associate Professor, Theological Studies
Research Councils and Committees
The Research Institute engages a number of research councils and committees in allocating funding and identifying emerging research priorities. These bodies are made up of SLU faculty and administrators. Full rosters can be found here.