‘University-Wide Commitment to Supporting and Investing in Research’
The University of New Haven is committed to pursuing cutting-edge research and to ensuring that our undergraduate and graduate students have opportunities to work alongside our world-class scholars.
Directing our University-wide research portfolio is Ronald S. Harichandran Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, our vice provost for research. A prominent scholar in civil and structural engineering,
he has published more than 140 journal and conference articles. During less than a
decade at the University, he has served as the principal investigator or co-principal
investigator for competitively awarded external grants totaling nearly $6 million.
"Dr. Harichandran is a distinguished scholar, and his efforts have been instrumental in earning funding for and raising the visibility of the groundbreaking research that is taking place on campus," said then-University of New Haven President Steven Kaplan, Ph.D. "At this exciting and critical juncture, we are fortunate to have an outstanding institutional champion to advance our University-wide commitment to supporting and investing in research."
Classification: Research Colleges and Universities
In the April, 2025 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the University of New Haven was elevated to the list of Research Colleges and Universities, which includes any institution, outside of Carnegie's R1 and R2 classifications, that spends more than $2.5 million on research and development.
Dr. Harichandran explained that continued external grant funding is the key metric that elevated the University’s research classification. The agencies and foundations that have provided some of the largest grants to the University include the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice, the Tow Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, Dalio Philanthropies, the Kern Family Foundation, the State of Connecticut, and the National Institute of Health.
The classifications come out every three years, and are next expected in spring 2028.
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