• A researcher works with equipment

        • About Us

          URA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) academic consortium composed of over 94 premier research universities across the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan headquartered in Washington, D.C. supporting government lab management and operation in the national interest.

        • A grassy area is located next to a column-lined outdoor walkway at a college campus

        • Member Universities

          URA fosters valuable university research partnerships through membership. URA presents members with research opportunities at national engineering and physics labs, engagement with laboratory leadership and management, and recognition of academic achievements.

        • Lab Management

          Since 1965 URA has been an integral part of the management of Fermilab, overseeing the management and operations of the lab and bringing the expertise of our 94 member universities to bear on the challenges facing the Fermilab.  URA supports scholars and interns doing research at Fermilab and recognizes outstanding contributions.  In 2007 URA became part of the organization that manages and operates Sandia National Laboratories and since then has worked to support the scientific and technical demands of Sandia by supporting external calibration of science, technology and engineering (ST&E) programs; aid in ST&E programs’ strategic planning; and assist in development of university partnerships and diverse workforce talent.

        • Science & Research Policy

          URA strives to engender an awareness of the current national science policy issues among its members and early career scientists. This is achieved through a variety of platforms at URA, including science policy and communication training, connecting scientists and policymakers, and policy town halls and workshops. URA’s goal is to facilitate effective science communication to promote the public’s understanding of scientific discoveries, foster trust in scientific institutions, and facilitate informed decision-making by policymakers and the public.

        • Two researchers in hard hats examine computer equipment

        • High Energy Physics User Community

          URA has been a supporter, convener, and integral part of the high energy physics User Community since Fermilab’s creation. Currently approximately seventy-five percent of the university-based users at Fermilab come from URA members. URA members represent the best scientific expertise the nation has to offer. Through our leadership, oversight, and programs URA is committed to ensuring that the full range of expertise from around the Nation and the world contributes to Fermilab’s scientific challenges and the user and affiliate community remains the vital part of the lab’s research base that it has always been.

  • Events
  • News
  • Contact Us

Board of Trustees

Home | About Us | Leadership & Management | Board of Trustees | Gregory L. Fenves

URA Board of Trustees

GREGORY L. FENVES

President, Emory University

Gregory L. Fenves was named Emory’s 21st president in 2020.

With a 36-year career in higher education, Fenves has experience at top-tier research universities as a renowned academic researcher and professor as well as an executive leader.

Before arriving at Emory in August 2020, Fenves was president of The University of Texas (UT) at Austin from 2015 to 2020. Under his leadership, the university recruited world-class faculty, broadened cross-disciplinary research, raised four-year graduation rates to record levels, built the Dell Medical School, and significantly increased extramural research funding. As president of one of the largest doctoral-granting universities in the nation, Fenves also elevated graduate education and increased support for graduate students. Prior to becoming president of UT, he was provost of the university and dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering.

Fenves was a faculty member at the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) for 20 years and served as chair of its No. 1–ranked Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

For his groundbreaking research in earthquake engineering and academic leadership, Fenves was elected in 2014 to the National Academy of Engineering, the highest recognition for an engineer in the United States.

For his groundbreaking research in earthquake engineering and academic leadership, Fenves was elected in 2014 to the National Academy of Engineering, the highest recognition for an engineer in the United States. He earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University and graduate degrees at UC Berkeley.

Fenves earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He began his career in 1984 as an assistant professor in UT’s Department of Civil Engineering. He then served more than 20 years on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, where he became an internationally renowned expert on structural engineering for earthquakes.