Demystifying Penn State Research Centers

Demystifying Penn State Research Centers and Institutes: Deep Dive into Research and Collaboration Opportunities at the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) 

Advancing your research portfolio is a key faculty objective.  This session will continue the mentorship focus on helping you build and move your research portfolio forward by introducing Penn State faculty across all campuses to the plethora of innovative research and many research-supportive activities, including internal pilot funding opportunities, occurring at the Social Science Research Institute. 

SSRI’s mission is to foster novel, interdisciplinary collaborations by investigators who aim to address critical human and social problems at the local, national, and international levels and to translate and disseminate this knowledge into measurable outcomes for human behavior, health, and development. Dr. Sarah Chilenski, Research Professor at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, co-lead of the Group to Reduce Inequities in Prevention, and Senior Faculty Mentor will facilitate the presentation and discussion with Dr. Deborah Ehrenthal, Director of SSRI and Professor of Biobehavioral Health in the College of Health and Human Development. She will present an overview of the institute and share information about SSRI’s resources including core facilities, research centers, funding opportunities, and affiliate program. In addition, she will preview where she sees the SSRI, and social and behavioral science research, are headed into the future.  

This session will encourage faculty to consider where, specifically, they can establish new collaborations or “plug in” to ongoing project and resources. Faculty will be encouraged to follow up with one-on-one mentoring sessions with Dr. Chilenski to strategize next steps to engage with relevant faculty and projects or reach out directly to Dr. Ehrenthal or other SSRI contacts shared during the presentation.