With a goal of 100 new faculty hires by 2028, the university is advancing strategic research clusters in areas of emerging global performance
In Alexis E. Block’s new lab, she and her students are blending the futuristic with the deeply human—by teaching robots to act with empathy.
With research that crosses traditional academic boundaries—combining psychology, robotics and human-robot interaction—Block’s team is creating robots that can understand and offer emotional support when a professional or loved one is not available.
“We’re working to complement human care and therapy,” said Block, DSc, assistant professor of electrical, computer and systems engineering in the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. “People are inherently messy, and robots can provide valuable insights and support—helping us understand ourselves better and bridging the gap when human assistance isn’t readily available.”
Block joined Case Western Reserve in fall 2023 as part of its Faculty 100 initiative. The program is expanding the institution’s research and educational impact by bringing in 100 net new tenure and tenure-track faculty by 2028— a 15% increase over retirement and replacement levels.
A generous startup package, made possible through funding set aside for the Faculty 100 initiative— which includes 50 new endowed professorships from philanthropic support—proved decisive in the recruitment of Block, who earned her doctorate in computer science from the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and ETH Zurich. With funding for equipment, summer salaries and initial research support, Block and researchers in her lab can explore experimental projects, including creating wearable devices that detect human emotion.
“The university’s support is especially vital for early career faculty—and it’s been essential for getting us off the ground,” said Block. “We’re able to gather the preliminary data we need to apply for major competitive grants.”
Culture of collaboration
Spearheaded by CWRU President Eric W. Kaler and Provost and Executive Vice President Joy K. Ward, Faculty 100 is designed to empower researchers to tackle pressing challenges of local, national and global importance.
“Faculty members are the unsung heroes of society— they are the ones making real progress, usually out of the spotlight,” said Provost Ward. “This initiative also shows the world that our university is ambitious, focused and on an upward trajectory to make an impact that improves lives.”
To launch the initiative, deans from Case Western Reserve’s college and seven schools worked closely with the provost to identify key areas where faculty hires can have major impact, focusing on fields such as sustainable manufacturing, artificial intelligence, energy storage, mental health and other areas of strategic importance.
For example, to strengthen its global leadership in human-machine neural technologies, the university is adding four new faculty positions to the Human Fusions Institute. Spread across biomedical engineering, computer and data sciences, mechanical engineering, and electrical, computer, and systems engineering—with Block being the first new faculty member to join the institute— these hires create new connections across departments to encourage work spanning multiple disciplines.
“Any research that is world-changing and important is also usually collaborative,” said Venkataramanan “Ragu” Balakrishnan, PhD, the Charles H. Phipps Dean of Case School of Engineering. “Bringing in 100 new faculty members encourages us to think more as a unified community and about how we can drive global progress from a range of perspectives.”
Faculty-driven student success
Expanding research opportunities for faculty also opens doors for students to join new projects, while benefiting from a broader selection of courses and mentors.
Albert Colman, PhD, who recently joined Case Western Reserve after serving in faculty positions at the University of Chicago and Rice University—exemplifies this integration of research and teaching. His wide-ranging oceanographic and terrestrial fieldwork—including in Russia, Hawaii and Greenland—has led to dozens of journal articles in influential publications.
Equally important to him is his role as a teacher. He encourages students to directly engage with the scientific process, whether through laboratory analysis, fieldwork or community-based research projects.
“Teaching isn’t just about information transfer,” said Colman, an assistant professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s about giving students the tools to investigate and make sense of their world.”
At CWRU, Colman is continuing work he began in previous faculty roles, guiding students in studies on lead contamination in city neighborhoods and phosphorus pollution in the Great Lakes, while exploring the intersection of environmental science, policy and justice.
He’s also establishing a lab that will involve both undergraduate and graduate students in key research initiatives, including air-quality monitoring in Cleveland and exploration of carboncapture systems.
“I believe in creating ways for students to see science in action in their own communities,” said Colman. “It helps them understand that environmental science isn’t just an academic exercise—there are real, tangible impacts on people’s lives.”
A community calling
The Faculty 100 initiative also aims to amplify the university’s contributions to community health—an area where Lynette Hammond Gerido, PhD, seeks to make a significant impact. After years in software engineering, helping clients in the medical field, Gerido realized something was missing: a deeper human connection.
Now, her work focuses on serving people directly, using her expertise to address health disparities and ensure new scientific advancements benefit the communities most in need.
“I wanted to be a scientist who not only builds tools to be used by my peers but who also recognizes patients and their communities as end users,” she said. “Every data point represents a person, and it’s critical that research does not lose sight of that.” As a recently hired assistant professor of bioethics in the School of Medicine, Gerido collaborates closely with communities to shape the design of research that will go on to influence medical practices, technology development and policy.
“When people are underrepresented in research, the tools we develop, like genetic tests, aren’t as accurate,” said Gerido, also scientific director of the university’s Bioethics Center for Community Health and Genomic Equity. “That lack of representation perpetuates disparities in healthcare outcomes.”
Gerido uses advanced computational tools to analyze population data and pinpoint trends in the impacts of clinical research, public health campaigns and consumer health technologies. She also focuses on the communications needs of patients and families who participate in research—often working directly with communities.
“Building trust isn’t transactional. To build trust, you have to demonstrate that you’re trustworthy,” she said. “It takes time, but it’s essential to make sure new scientific developments benefit everyone, not just a select few.”
Lasting legacy
The Faculty 100 initiative is also closely linked to infrastructure upgrades at the university. The cutting-edge Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building (ISEB)—under construction and on track to open in 2026—will significantly enhance research and teaching efforts, becoming a key asset for faculty recruitment and retention.
“By 2028, we’ll be an even more innovative campus,” said Provost Ward. “Our researchers and students will be working together with the best tools and state-of-the-art facilities.”
The Faculty 100 initiative is designed to have a long-lasting impact and legacy— creating possibilities for discovery and invention for decades to come.
“Research is a long-term investment that benefits future generations in ways we can’t fully predict today,” said Provost Ward. “But we know our new faculty will have a tremendous collective impact. They’re the key to unlocking our full potential and making the world a better place.”
Shaping tomorrow
The university is expanding its academic ranks in nine areas to strengthen partnerships and create new collaborations.
- AI, big data and analytics
- Biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics
- Cancer prevention and treatments
- Electrochemistry and energy storage
- Environment and ecosystems
- Human fusions and robotics
- Humanities and the arts in a tech-driven world
- Mental health and well-being
- Sustainable manufacturing and advanced materials
Originally published in the winter 2024-2025 issue of Forward Thinking magazine