USC Research - About Us - Office of the Vice Provost for Research Advancement

Center for Excellence in Research

Download the 2008 CER Faculty Fellows Application: To Application Forms

Overview

The Center for Excellence in Research (CER) is a new faculty-initiated activity at USC designed to increase the impact and prominence of scholarly research throughout the university.

Under the auspices of the Vice Provost for Research Advancement and the University Research Committee, a joint Academic Senate-Provost committee, the CER will promote advancement, leadership and excellence in the pursuit of all areas of research, university-wide. The core of the CER will be a group of faculty Fellows, who will be selected based both on accomplishments and on commitment to promoting a culture of excellence in research at USC. Fellows will serve as leaders, advisors and mentors to fellow faculty and students both within and beyond their areas of expertise. The primary activities of the CER are a series of faculty-led research salons, and training workshops organized by the Office of Research Advancement.

Proposal Review Service

Through the Center for Excellence in Research, the Office of Research Advancement offers a peer-to-peer proposal review service for applications to external funding agencies. Investigators should notify Cevadne Lee roughly 4 weeks in advance of the proposal due date, indicating the nature of the proposal and providing a link to the program announcement. We will then match the investigator with a reviewer. Draft proposals should be provided at least two weeks prior to the due date. Faculty who wish to utilize this service, or volunteer to serve as a mentor, should contact Cevadne Lee at cevadnel@usc.edu.

CER Faculty Fellows

Faculty Fellows are a key component of the Center for Excellence in Research. Fellows organize transdisciplinary research groups with common interests and expertise, provide individual mentoring on a range of topics, and direct CER Research Salons.

The inaugural class of CER Faculty Fellows is: Richard Cote (Pathology), Hossein Jadvar (Medicine), Peter Mancall (History), Maja Mataric (Computer Science), Carol Prescott (Psychology) and Rand Wilcox (Psychology).

The Fellowship application form, as well as more information about the Fellows, can be found on the CER Faculty Fellowship web page: Learn More

CER Research Salons

Research Salons -- faculty-led lunchtime conversations on broad topics of interest to the USC research community -- are a vital activity of the Center for Excellence in Research.

Spring 2008 features five new research Salons. To see the Salon schedule and register for Salons: Visit Site

CER Research Advancement Workshops

The Center for Excellence in Research, within the Office of the Vice Provost for Research Advancement, organizes a series of workshops for university researchers. These courses, directed by the Office of Research Advancement leadership, former federal agency officials, and other experts, are designed to provide researchers across all fields of study with specialized skills and knowledge in seeking funding from government, foundation, and corporate organizations.

Links to a number of the research advancement workshops are listed here. A full list and schedule, along with registration information, can be found on the research advancement workshop website:Visit Site