Strategic Programs

IRAP coordinates strategic programs aligned with priority areas identified by the Provost.

These programs affect the campus-wide community to support the research, teaching, and service mission of the university. The goal of the 2023–2024 programs is to increase the research reputation of the UC Irvine faculty. The current projects are focused on:

Faculty Awards and Memberships

UC Irvine faculty strive for research excellence and make significant contributions to their respective fields. Highlighting our faculty’s exceptional achievements – including prestigious honors, awards, and appointments to esteemed academies – is a top priority. Recognizing our faculty’s achievements also underscores UC Irvine’s commitment to fostering a culture of research excellence. To ensure we are regularly highlighting these awards and memberships, we are developing a database dedicated to tracking these honors annually. This will showcase research achievements to our campus community as well as nationally and globally, which we hope will foster increased collaborations and innovative research with internal and external stakeholders.

Faculty Websites and Campus Directory

Having a web presence is crucial for our faculty. It enhances their visibility and accessibility to students, colleagues, and the broader academic community. It also facilitates the dissemination of their research and professional accomplishments, thus contributing to their academic reputation and impact. Our university provides several platforms to support faculty in establishing their web presence. We are working to enhance the resources available as well as to provide innovative tools and support. As part of this effort, we plan to launch a campaign aimed at encouraging regular maintenance of faculty websites so as to ensure relevant, up-to-date information is available for our university community and beyond.

UCI Black Thriving Initiative Faculty Clusters

The UCI Black Thriving Initiative Faculty Cluster Hiring Program is dedicated to recruiting scholars who specialize in the study of anti-Blackness and the examination of structural racism in various contexts. This initiative addresses the lived experiences of anti-Black racism, its historical and contemporary impacts, and proposes public policy solutions. Coordinated by the Institutional Planning Office in collaboration with the Office of Inclusive Excellence, this program aims to enhance research, teaching, and community engagement focused on understanding the Black experience and promoting well-being within the Black community across academic disciplines. Three initiatives have been funded: Environmental Health Disparities, Infrastructure Equity, and Poetic Justice.