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COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

RESEARCH SUPPORT

A faculty member and her student work in the lab together.

Research is critical to the mission of Villanova University and essential for both the development of its faculty and the education and training of its students.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences fosters and environment that supports research, scholarly excellence and student-professor research partnerships, emphasizing the importance of the teacher-scholar model. The College supports faculty in securing external funding and offers several internal funding including Course Initiative Grants in Diversity or Sustainability, Faculty Research and Development Grants and Research Semester Awards.

External Funding

CLAS has experienced a steady increase in external funding over the past decade, rising from just under $2M to just under $9M in FY21.

Our faculty earn funding from a variety of federal agencies, including:

  • National Science Foundation, including NSF CAREER Grants
  • National Air and Space Administration
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Archives
  • National Endowment for the Humanities
  • Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

All faculty awards are managed by the Office of Grants and Contracts. The College’s deployed research specialist, Jenny Filer, assists in proposal development and compliance.

Awards have been received from private foundations including:

  • John Templeton Foundation
  • Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
  • Lilly Foundation
  • Henry Luce Foundation
  • Teagle Foundation

The Villanova Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations facilitates and orchestrates the creation and maintenance of strategic partnerships between Villanova University, corporations and private philanthropic organizations.

  

Office of Grant Development

Identifying and securing research funding is critically important for many of our faculty scholars. The Office of Grant Development offers assistance to faculty and staff in preparing and submitting grant proposals.

Identifying and securing research funding is critically important for our faculty scholars. The Office of Grant Development offers assistance to faculty and staff in preparing and submitting grant proposals.

The Office of Grant Development supports faculty throughout the grant submission process, including

  • Identifying potential sources of funding (including federal, state, and other government agencies; private corporations and foundations; and private groups and individuals)
  • Grant budget preparation
  • Securing matching support for grants
  • Collecting and preparing required supporting documents and documentation
  • Proofreading and editing of proposals prior to submission

  

Kevin Minbiole, PhD, Associate Dean for Research

St Augustine Center, room 105

  

STUDENT RESEARCH

  

FACULTY RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

EMPOWERING STUDENTS THROUGH NEW BOOK

In an age of rapid change and mounting pressures, young adults face an array of challenges when it comes to finding direction, building relationships and shaping their identities. "The Young Adult Playbook: Living Like It Matters," co-authored by Professor of Theology and the Anne Quinn Welsh Endowed Director of the Villanova University Honors Program Anna B. Moreland, PhD, dives into the complex questions surrounding what makes a meaningful life. MORE...

NSF CAREER GRANT

Matthew O’Reilly, PhD, assistant professor of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The five-year, $462,481 grant will support Dr. O’Reilly’s project, “Development of Chemical Tools for the Preparation of Strained Cyclic Peptides.” MORE...

STUDYING POLITICAL MEDIA COVERAGE

How do family narratives in media shape perceptions of political candidates? Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science Camille Burge-Hicks, PhD, and Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology Melissa Hodges, PhD, along with student researchers examine how media coverage frames candidates' family roles along gender and racial lines. MORE...

INAUGURAL LUCCI CHAIR IN ITALIAN STUDIES

Timothy McCall, PhD, professor of Art History and the director of the Art History program has been appointed as the inaugural Bernard John Lucci Endowed Chair in Italian Studies within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In a fascinating look into the past, he explores the world of 15th-century Italian courts in his new book, "Making the Renaissance Man: Masculinity in the Courts of Renaissance Italy." MORE...