One University, Endless Discovery: Letter from the VPR

As I reflect upon my second year at UVA as the Vice President for Research, what stands out most to me is not a single discovery or creative work, but rather it is the resounding sense that our research community is resilient, passionate about the pursuit of knowledge, and committed to excellence in all we do. This year has further confirmed what I suspected when I first arrived: there is no place quite like UVA

Federally funded research has faced challenges again this year with funding delays, cancelled review panels, and new compliance requirements, among other changes. However, our research community has met these challenges with extraordinary perseverance and determination. This is certainly a point of pride for all of us, and these attributes have led to great success. We have so much to celebrate! 

In FY26, sponsored funding reached a new record high at $588 million, and our investigators submitted more than 3,200 proposals representing $2.89 billion in potential awards. Research expenditures climbed to $896 million, reported to NSF in January 2026. Remarkably, our work generates $1 billion in annual economic impact and supports nearly 11,000 jobs across the Commonwealth. These are not just statistics. They are evidence of an enterprise that is steadily growing in ambition, reach, and impact. Wahoowa!!!

Our reach spans Virginia, from our coastal field research stations on the Eastern Shore to biological stations high in the Southern Appalachians, where faculty and students study some of Virginia’s most ecologically significant ecosystems. Discoveries made in our labs are reaching the people who need them most, including a first-in-human clinical trial for a UVA-developed sepsis therapy that could transform how physicians treat one of medicine’s most dangerous conditions. A $10 million NEH grant is helping UVA preserve and share the Papers of George Washington and other founding-era documents, connecting our research mission to both the nation’s 250th anniversary and UVA’s own founding ideals.

Our faculty earned extraordinary recognition this year, with colleagues across schools receiving Guggenheim Fellowships, National Academy elections, breakthrough prizes, and prestigious early career awards. From engineering and medicine to economics, the humanities, and education, our researchers are being recognized as leaders in their fields, and they have earned it! 

We also invested in the future of collaboration. The inaugural cohort of UVA Research Hubs brought together faculty from multiple schools around fifteen shared research areas. Our symposium series convened researchers, clinicians, students, and patients around some of the most urgent questions in science, medicine, and society. Meanwhile, the Manning Institute of Biotechnology is taking shape, with a bold mission to shorten the path from discovery to treatment.

The stories in this report bring all of this to life, from AI to rare disease, from the classroom to the battlefield. They are told through the work of faculty, students, and staff who show up every day to push the boundaries of what is possible. I hope they leave you as inspired as I am by what the UVA Research community is building, together.

Lori L. McMahon, PhD

Vice President for Research

Professor of Neuroscience

University of Virginia