University of New Haven Elevated in Prestigious Carnegie Research Classifications

In the 2025 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the University of New Haven has been elevated to the list of Research Colleges and Universities, which includes any institution, outside of Carnegie's R1 and R2 classifications, that spends more than $2.5 million on research and development.

Ron Harichandran, the University’s vice provost for research and dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering, says this new distinction will bring even greater visibility to the wide-ranging research work being performed across the University.

“It’s very welcome news,” he said. “It will help us recruit Ph.D. and master’s degree students, and we can continue to build upon the research being done at the graduate and undergraduate level.”

According to Carnegie, the new classification better reflects the “increased diversity of institutions and the learners they serve, making it more relevant and useful for policymakers, funders, researchers, and others who rely on the classification system for a comprehensive view of higher education in the United States.”

Dr. Harichandran explained that continued external grant funding is the key metric that elevated the University’s research classification. The agencies and foundations that have provided some of the largest grants to the University include the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice, the Tow Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, Dalio Philanthropies, the Kern Family Foundation, the State of Connecticut, and the National Institute of Health.

Four faculty at the University have received NSF Early CAREER grants that are among the most prestigious grants given to young faculty, with each worth more than $500,000.

In addition, Dean Harichandran said robust student-engaged research is happening in academic departments all over campus, with faculty serving as mentors.

In total, he said, the University’s external grant expenditure was $8.2 million during the 2025 fiscal year and $6.5 million during the 2024 fiscal year. “We’ve had very steady growth year-after-year,” said Dr. Harichandran.

Shue Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and chemical and biomedical engineering and interim program coordinator of Biomedical Engineering, who won the 2025 Excellence in Research award, said she is excited about the promise that the new elevated research classification brings.

“I see opportunities for faculty to gain more grants, opportunities for our students to get engaged in research projects from different disciplines and ways for the University to get new exposure and attract more students in the long term,” she said.

In her research lab, Dr. Wang works with undergraduates and graduates on understanding how physical and chemical signals influence how cells behave. “I really enjoy training graduate and undergraduate students, especially when I see them grow,” she said. Students gain technical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills along with soft skills like communication, presentation, and writing skills, Dr. Wang said, adding, “All of these are essential for their future careers.”

Other faculty nominated for the University’s 2025 Excellence in Research award reflect the breadth and depth of the research taking place. The honorees included:

• Mehmet Balcilar, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and business analytics in the Pompea College of Business, is exploring forecasting, urban and real estate economics and energy and monetary economics.
• Maggie Holland, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor in the department of population health and leadership, is researching maternal and child health, with an emphasis on prevention programs for low-income families.
• Rosemarie Lillianne Macias, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, specializes in trauma-informed, community-based prevention and program development.
• Josep De Alcaraz-Fossoul, Ph.D., associate professor of forensic science is developing methods to estimate the age of fingerprints at crime scenes.
• Huan Gu, Ph.D., assistant professor and coordinator of the M.S. in chemical engineering, is studying the use of soft and living materials (SLiMs) as sustainable solutions to global challenges.
• Michelle Fabiani, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice, is examining patterns of behavior in international and transnational crimes to develop tools, methods, and data to prevent crime.
• Saida Elmi, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer sciences, is studying knowledge discovery, machine learning, and spatial data mining.
• Alvin Tran, Sc.D., MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Population Health and Leadership is doing research on disordered eating behaviors, health policy, and the health disparities affecting racial and sexual minority populations.