Strategy in Action
U Research Strategic Plan
Explore how strategy is taking shape—and shaping the future of research at the U.
From the Desk of the
Senior Associate Vice President for Research
Enterprise strategy comes to life through the research we advance, the investments we make, and the impact those efforts create. Explore Research Highlights to see emerging areas of strength, Inside the Data to understand where U Research is investing, and Impact to see how those investments are helping research at the U grow in scale, visibility, and reach.
Jakob D. Jensen, SAVPR
FEATURED ARTICLE
INSIDE THE DATA
Dialogue & Dispute
August 18, 2026
Dialogue and dispute have become an increasingly visible area of research and engagement at the University of Utah, supported by deliberate investment from U Research. That support has helped faculty build programs, partnerships, and new opportunities across campus while strengthening a broader institutional commitment to civic discourse. Click to explore an analysis of U Research investment in this area, what it has made possible, and how that investment is shaping the U’s emerging strength.
INSIDE THE DATA
Dialogue & Dispute
August 18, 2026
Dialogue and dispute have become an increasingly visible area of research and engagement at the University of Utah, supported by deliberate investment from U Research. That support has helped faculty build programs, partnerships, and new opportunities across campus while strengthening a broader institutional commitment to civic discourse. Click to explore an analysis of U Research investment in this area, what it has made possible, and how that investment is shaping the U’s emerging strength.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
The Hottest Day
July 13, 2026
Extreme heat is more than a weather story—it is a growing challenge for our health, communities, infrastructure, and quality of life. Across the University of Utah, researchers are examining how rising temperatures affect human health, mental well-being, neighborhoods, buildings, and the electrical grid, bringing together expertise from across disciplines to understand and respond to extreme heat. Click to learn how University of Utah researchers are studying extreme heat and developing solutions to help Utah communities prepare for hotter days ahead.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
When the Fire is in Your Backyard
July 1, 2026
When wildfire reaches our own backyard, research takes on new urgency. After the Bonneville Fire burned just beyond campus, University of Utah researchers are advancing work across fire behavior, smoke and air quality, public health, ecosystem resilience, emergency management, artificial intelligence, and community preparedness. Together, this work is helping communities anticipate, withstand, and recover from wildfire. Click to learn how the U is building a distinctive research strength around wildfire and developing solutions for communities across Utah and the West.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
Research Predicts the Future
June 8, 2026
Research at the University of Utah spans an extraordinary range of questions, disciplines, and approaches, from fundamental discovery to work with immediate implications for people and communities. Recent findings across the U show how our faculty are advancing knowledge, challenging assumptions, developing new technologies, and opening new possibilities for the future. Click to explore a selection of recent research, scholarship, and creative work that reflects the remarkable breadth, momentum, and impact of discovery across the university now and for generations.
INSIDE THE DATA
INSIDE THE DATA
Dialogue & Dispute
August 18, 2026
Dialogue and dispute have become an increasingly visible area of research and engagement at the University of Utah, supported by deliberate investment from U Research. That support has helped faculty build programs, partnerships, and new opportunities across campus while strengthening a broader institutional commitment to civic discourse. Click to explore an analysis of U Research investment in this area, what it has made possible, and how that investment is shaping the U’s emerging strength.
INSIDE THE DATA
Women's Health
August 11, 2026
Women’s health is already a major strength at the University of Utah—but what does our own investment history reveal about where that strength is growing? A new Inside the Data analysis examines U Research funding across women’s health, from pregnancy and postpartum care to cancer, menopause, engineering, and more. The story also traces how the 2024–2025 1U4U theme helped accelerate this portfolio and how internal investments are connecting faculty, disciplines, and centers across the university into an increasingly distinctive research ecosystem.
INSIDE THE DATA
Water & Air
August 1, 2026
Water and air research is already a strength at the University of Utah—but what does U Research’s investment history reveal about where that strength is growing? A new Inside the Data analysis examines nearly $1 million in internal funding connected to Water & Air, spanning Great Salt Lake research, air quality, wildfire smoke, extreme heat, environmental monitoring, and human health. The story shows how investments in people, projects, and infrastructure are building a broader, increasingly connected research ecosystem across the university.
IMPACT
IMPACT
Next Generation Geothermal
May 20, 2026
A new University of Utah spinout is turning decades of geothermal research into tools for a rapidly growing industry. Geothermal Strategy Partners brings expertise from the U’s Energy & Geoscience Institute to help developers evaluate risk, improve project design, and move next-generation geothermal systems from planning to operation. The company shows how sustained research investment can create new ventures, strengthen industry partnerships, and translate university expertise into solutions with the potential to shape the future of energy at commercial scale.
IMPACT
FrostByte
February 24, 2026
What can a research competition set in motion? For FrostByte Defense Technologies, a 2024 High Tech West win helped turn an idea for preventing frostbite into a startup testing its technology in extreme conditions. The team’s autonomous heated glove liner monitors tissue temperature and delivers targeted warmth before injury occurs. Since receiving U Research support, FrostByte has advanced prototypes, built industry and military partnerships, and successfully tested its system with U.S. Special Operations Forces in Alaska. Explore what happened next.
IMPACT
Community Engagement
January 21, 2026
The University of Utah’s commitment to serving communities has earned national recognition through the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. The designation highlights how faculty, students, staff, and community partners work together to turn knowledge into meaningful public benefit. From health care and education to design, service, and research, programs across the U are creating measurable impact across Utah and beyond. Explore the partnerships, programs, and people helping the university advance its goal of unsurpassed societal impact for communities across Utah.