College of Education

Associate Dean for Research

As Associate Dean for Research (ADR), Jessica Li has the primary responsibility for promoting and supporting research, research education, and external funding within the College of Education and its overall research and scholarship portfolio.

Dr. Li's outward-facing responsibilities include representing College research efforts across the University and acting as primary liaison with campus; representing the College to external funding agencies and local, national and international partners; establishing strategic partnerships to pursue new research opportunities aligned with faculty expertise; and overseeing research relations with K-12 school partners.

As Director of the Bureau of Educational Research, Dr. Li also oversees both strategic initiatives and research funding operations within the College, and directs professional staff who provide strategic and operational research support services.

Responsibilities of the Associate Dean for Research include:

• Supporting both faculty seeking initial external funding and experienced faculty who have external funding, to ensure that faculty research programs remain well supported;
• Providing intellectual leadership to the scholarly activities of the College (including initiating opportunities for scholarly exchange around critical topics, supporting grant development and writing, identifying faculty who can serve as resources to research efforts and initiatives);
• Overseeing international connections as they relate to research education;
• Overseeing matters of ethics, diversity, and equity in research and research education;
• Serving as ex officio for the College Research Committee, which advises on research policies and reviews applications for seed funding, fellowship competitions, and awards.