The University of Iowa’s Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI) in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) selected three faculty members as 2026 awardees of its Summer Researcher-in-Residence program, which supports impactful, social science research addressing pressing social, civic, and health-related challenges.

Ethan Kutlu, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders and CSSI researcher affiliate, discusses his research and work in the Speech, Signs, and Systems Lab at the University of Iowa. He was also recently named an Outstanding Reviewer by Cognition, one of the most prestigious journals in psycholinguistics. Read the story from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Democracy Works host Chris Beem talks with Julianna Pacheco, professor and chair of political science and CSSI researcher affiliate, about how the politicization of health issues is impacting physicians across the country. Within, she discusses emergent findings from her recent survey launched through CSSI's Surveying the Social World initiative.

Bodi Vasi, associate professor of sociology and criminology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and CSSI researcher affiliate, studies how organizations engage in environmental sustainability. As researchers gain access to increasingly larger amounts of text data, many are beginning to explore how AI tools can advance their work. To inspire others, Vasi will lead an April 22 CSSI workshop titled “Using LLMs to Develop Variables for the Social Sciences,” using his preliminary data. The workshop will show how social scientists can use LLMs to create novel measures that can be used in quantitative research. Read our feature of Bodi Vasi.

During Graduate Student Appreciation week in April, we interviewed Chase LaSpisa, PhD student of political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and CSSI graduate consultant. His work with CSSI has helped him grow skills needed for his future career while helping faculty solve research challenges. Read his Q & A.