Geiger named to research analytics advisory board

James Geiger, manager of data analytics in the UNMC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, has been named a member of the inaugural community advisory board of the Research Evaluation and Analytics Capacity Hub.

Based at the University of Kentucky and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, REACH is a global network and capacity-building hub for research analytics. Its mission is to advance research evaluation, analytics and artificial intelligence across institutions and disciplines.

“As business processes and procedures become more data driven, it is important to have experts like James participate and share their voices in this process,” said Ken Bayles, PhD, UNMC vice chancellor for research. “Since I work with James on a near daily basis, I know well how talented he is with data analytics. As someone who works ‘behind the curtain,’ it is gratifying to see his talent recognized and leveraged for the greater good.”

The 15 community advisory board members represent a wide range of expertise in research administration, evaluation, bibliometrics and data analytics, and they come from institutions across the United States and internationally, including Emory University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Minnesota and Edith Cowan University in Australia.

“We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of advisers,” said Baron Wolf, PhD, director of REACH. “Their insights will be invaluable as we work to build capacity for rigorous, responsible, and impactful research evaluation and analytics.”

In being a part of the advisory board, UNMC is helping to lead the conversation, Geiger said.

“The network’s main goal is to develop capacity for institutions to be able to analyze their research footprint and make data-informed decisions based on the scope and the impact of their research,” he said. “At the University of Nebraska Medical Center, we want to be a voice and a resource as these questions are being discussed nationally.”

The community advisory board will convene regularly to provide feedback on REACH’s strategic initiatives, foster collaboration across sectors and ensure the hub’s resources and tools meet the evolving needs of the research ecosystem.

Geiger, who has been with UNMC for six years, said that membership on the committee is a chance to establish UNMC as a national voice as the group looks to develop leaders and practitioners in research analytics.

“As conversations continue about how to effectively assess and communicate our institutions’ research impact, this role will position UNMC as a central collaborator,” he said.

“How can we responsibly use data to evaluate an institution’s research enterprise to develop its capacity and thus enable growth?”

Geiger noted UNMC’s unique position on the advisory board as an institution that focuses on the academic health sciences.

“It will be important to bring that perspective to this group.”

The REACH project is supported through grant funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (grant number: 2444978).