Lehigh has a rich history of engaging in life-changing, industry-shaping research. Lehigh people have made possible critical advancements in society, from the ability to build taller skyscrapers to pioneering the use of microscopy in the analysis of materials to manufacturing the first products in space.
Now, Lehigh continues to build on this momentum and growing impact of its research enterprise as it celebrates one year since achieving R1 status, a designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education that places the university among the top cohort of research universities in the country.
Attaining R1 status is a milestone that means a university conducts a “very high volume of research” and awards a large number of research doctorates, according to the Carnegie Classification. The designation places Lehigh among the nation’s leading research universities. Lehigh is the only university in the Lehigh Valley to have the designation and one of seven in the state of Pennsylvania.
The achievement was the result of a sustained and concerted effort across the Lehigh community to focus on Lehigh’s mission as a place that advances learning through research, says Nathan Urban, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. The effort was strongly supported by former Lehigh presidents Alice P. Gast and John D. Simon, and now by President Joseph J. Helble ’82.
“The successful efforts to achieve this milestone are also one reason that I believe that right now, we may be at the best moment in Lehigh’s history, and that Lehigh’s future is very bright and promising,” Urban says.
A key initiative in advancing research activity as part of Lehigh’s Inspiring the Future Makers strategy was the creation of three interdisciplinary University Research Centers (URCs): the Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience; the Center for Community-Driven Assistive Technologies (CDAT); and the Center for Advancing Community Electrification Solutions (ACES).
“Lehigh’s URCs build from existing areas of faculty expertise and seek to address some of the most important challenges facing the world today,” Urban says.
The university’s economic impact on the Lehigh Valley for fiscal year 2024 totaled $1.4 billion through direct expenditures for research and development and expenditures of companies that have been supported by Ben Franklin Technology Ventures
Since becoming R1, Lehigh established a formal partnership with Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospitals, advancing the university’s commitment to health-focused collaboration, research and education.
The university’s research portfolio continues to grow, spanning from technology to arts and life sciences to literature, providing a fertile ground for new ideas that can have a real impact.
“Achieving R1 status is a significant milestone in the university’s growth and celebrates the brilliance and strength of individual and group research, and the depth and breadth of Lehigh’s research as a whole,” says Anand Jagota, vice provost for research.
These faculty, students and alumni are among those driving Lehigh’s R1 research momentum forward, solving challenges and developing innovations that may lead to new technologies, devices, products or discoveries that continue to shape our world.
–Intro by Lauren Thein
