In this Q&A, vice president for research David Schwebel reflects on his first year at Iowa, discusses opportunities and challenges facing researchers, shares his priorities for the future, and offers a glimpse into life outside of the office.

What are your current priorities?

My top priorities are helping our faculty, staff, and students succeed in their scholarship and ensuring that the University of Iowa continues to thrive as a leading research institution.

First, we are expanding support for research development and external funding applications. That includes helping faculty identify funding opportunities, strengthen proposals, build collaborative teams, and compete for larger, more ambitious awards. We have tremendous talent across campus, and I want to ensure researchers have the resources they need to pursue bold ideas and secure funding that advances discovery and innovation to benefit our communities. 

Second, we are helping the university navigate a rapidly changing research landscape. Federal funding priorities, regulations, and expectations continue to evolve, and we must remain responsive to those changes, stay compliant with regulations, and support our faculty as they adapt.

Finally, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of legal, regulatory, and ethical compliance in research. Strong compliance practices protect our researchers, research participants, and institution, and they are essential to maintaining public trust in the work we do.

At the heart of these priorities is a simple goal: Creating an environment where faculty, staff, and students conduct meaningful research, scholarship, and creative activities that improve lives in Iowa and beyond.

Which research areas do you see as growth opportunities?

One of the university's strengths is the breadth of its research enterprise, so I see opportunities for growth across many disciplines rather than in any single area.

I'm particularly interested in helping faculty pursue larger, multidisciplinary awards that bring together expertise from across campus. Many of today's most pressing challenges—from improving health outcomes and advancing artificial intelligence to strengthening communities and developing new technologies—require collaboration across scholarly fields. The University of Iowa is well positioned to compete for these opportunities. The 12 teams that received Large Grant Development Opportunity funding exemplify this. 

What are the biggest challenges researchers face right now? How is your office addressing these?

One of the biggest challenges for researchers is the increasing complexity of the grant environment. Faculty spend significant time navigating application requirements, compliance expectations, reporting obligations, and changing sponsor policies. Those administrative demands can be frustrating and take time away from research, scholarship, and creative work.

Our units, such as the Division of Sponsored Programs and the Research Integrity and Security Office, monitor and share guidance on compliance and regulatory requirements, including federal policy changes, while streamlining processes where possible.

Another challenge is the increasingly competitive funding landscape. Securing external funding is not easy. It requires significant time and effort, and even excellent proposals may not be funded. Researchers need support not only in developing strong proposals but also in identifying opportunities, building collaborations, and refining applications over time.

We're addressing these challenges in several ways. The Office of the Vice President for Research is expanding research development services, strengthening proposal support, and investing in initiatives that help faculty compete for larger and more complex awards. As one example, our Research Development Office recently launched Grant Hawk, a National Institutes of Health grant review service that simulates how reviewers evaluate applications and offers suggestions for improving competitiveness. We continue to offer popular services such as the Pivot funding database, external peer review before grant submission, and a variety of training programs and panel discussions.

At the same time, we're listening to faculty. Over the past year, I've spent a great deal of time meeting with researchers across campus to better understand their experiences and identify opportunities for improvement. While some challenges are driven by external factors beyond our control, we will continue improving our resources and infrastructure to help researchers and scholars across campus succeed in their work.

Are you keeping up with your own research program?

Like many faculty members who take on administrative leadership roles, I've been thoughtful about balancing my responsibilities. My primary focus is serving as vice president for research, but I do remain engaged in scholarship through my faculty appointment in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

I've now wrapped up most of the funded projects studying child unintentional injury prevention that began during my time at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Those projects explored topics such as pedestrian safety, drowning prevention, firearm injury prevention, and car seat installation. I recently wrote a piece for The Conversation that brings together this research into recommendations for how adults can empower children to make safer choices in their daily lives.

 At Iowa, my role in research is different from what it was when I led a laboratory. Rather than serving as the primary driver of new projects, I'm advising ongoing work and collaborating with skilled colleagues who lead those efforts. This allows me to stay connected to the process—and experience the challenges, frustrations, and joys of faculty research—while dedicating the time and attention needed to support the broad research enterprise at our university.

How are you settling into Iowa City?

My wife and I have enjoyed our first year back in Iowa City, 25 years after we left as newly minted UI graduate school alumni. We've officially made Iowa home—we sold our house in Birmingham, purchased a house here, and we're happy to report that (almost) all the moving boxes are unpacked and (almost) all the new furniture is purchased.

A highlight has been becoming involved in the community and experiencing all that Iowa City has to offer. We've enjoyed attending Hawkeye football games and performances at Hancher, as well as nature hikes and day trips to several communities surrounding Iowa City, all of which allow us to appreciate greatly the energy, talent, and pride that make this community special.

What impresses me most, though, is the people. I've had the opportunity to meet faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members from across the university and region, and I'm continually in awe of their welcoming spirit, engagement, and commitment to support the university's mission.

After a year, Iowa City feels more like home every day. We're excited to continue building connections and engage further in the community in the years ahead.