Meet Scott Huettel, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences’ Inaugural Senior Associate Dean for Research

Scott Huettel, Senior Associate Dean for Research in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is playing the long game.

As a professor in Psychology & Neuroscience, Huettel is well aware of the challenges facing research faculty across all disciplines. In the months since his appointment to the newly-created position, he’s been devising ways to help Trinity faculty identify and secure funding opportunities, as well as ensure students have access to robust research opportunities.

Trinity leadership created the role of Senior Associate Dean for Research after extensive discussions with faculty and research administrative staff. Huettel sees himself as an interlocutor between faculty, students and other offices that support research across Duke’s campus. It’s a much-needed role, given ever-increasing competitiveness for funding, publication and even graduate recruitment.

“Compared to other aspects of Trinity's mission, research was the one element that was handled outside of Arts & Sciences, by other offices on campus,” Huettel said. “Trinity wasn't always at the table for research discussions that affected our faculty and students, leading to communication gaps.”

Huettel also noted the need for a strong research strategy within Trinity. “We have amazing researchers, but there wasn't a coherent plan to support those faculty and ensure they have all the tools they need.” 

Defining the responsibilities of any new position is complicated, and the challenges facing higher education since Huettel assumed his role have kept him busy. Still, he stressed that it’s imperative to develop a long-term strategic plan sooner rather than later.

“We need to think in longer terms, even as we meet the challenges of the moment,” he said. “For the last few months, I've been trying to understand how we can best support our faculty, especially new faculty who are just arriving at Duke.” 

To that end, this fall Trinity is starting a pilot program called the Year One Program to support incoming faculty so they can launch their research and scholarship effectively. “We want our new faculty to understand the resources available to them and to feel confident that Duke is a place that supports them and their work,” Huettel said.

Huettel emphasized that his office was created to serve all Trinity faculty, from the natural and social sciences to the arts and humanities. “The research dean’s mission encompasses all disciplines. We want anyone who has research as part of their job description to feel supported.”

For faculty in the arts and humanities, supporting creative research might involve making sure they have access to facilities and materials that often aren’t funded by federal grants. Huettel noted that departments such as Music and Art, Art History & Visual Studies are often hubs of groundbreaking interdisciplinary research. “Our arts departments do amazing, creative work, whether through monographs, performances, or exhibits, and we want their scholarship to be just as supported as research in Chemistry or Psychology & Neuroscience,” he said.

Undergraduate research is also a priority in Huettel’s strategic planning. Almost 60 percent of Trinity undergraduates will engage in faculty-mentored research during their time at Duke, making it a central aspect of their college experience.

Huettel understands these opportunities are a big draw. “Students come to Duke for a reason,” he said. “We’re a world-class research university where they can work with leading experts on topics they’re excited about and be part of teams making amazing discoveries. There are a lot of colleges where you can get a wonderful undergraduate education, but they don’t have that research component. This is a very distinctive Duke point: We have amazing research opportunities for undergrads.”

For Huettel, student research success and faculty research success go hand in hand. His job is to make sure research in Trinity continues to build its considerable momentum by responding to the unique needs of departments and faculty.

“Research activities in Economics, History, Theater and Physics are all very different from each other, so I don’t want to establish some central office that tells our faculty how to conduct their research,” he said. “Our faculty are the experts in their disciplines. I want to empower them, so if they have a great idea, they can explore it.”

Huettel’s challenge over the next couple of years is to map Trinity’s rich research landscape, then find ways to make information more codified, better organized and easier to navigate.

“A year from now, I’d love for Trinity to have a strategic vision for research that excites our departments and faculty, supports our students and brings our community together,” he said.