Dean’s Message

Welcome to Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Research Office. I truly believe Feinberg is one of the greatest places in the world to do research and train the next generation of investigators. Our office provides administrative support and premier facilities for 777 principal investigators and their teams as well as our talented students, trainees and staff. We also celebrate and amplify the work being done by our community, which is dedicated to the school’s mission: to impact the practice of medicine through discovery and education.

Over the past decade, our office has played in integral role in Northwestern Medicine’s vision to be a nationally recognized academic medical center. We received more than $706 million in research awards in 2023, which is the most in the medical school's history. Feinberg is also 15th in NIH funding rankings among all American medical schools, up from 39 in 2002.

Here are some major milestones that have led to our recent growth and expansion:

• Opening the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center, the largest, new biomedical academic research building in U.S., which adds more than 625,000 square feet of research space to the Chicago academic medical campus.
• Continuing the renovation of existing wet lab research space and regular acquisition of dry lab space on campus.
• A focus on recruiting and maintaining faculty excellence and diversity.
• Developing programs and pipelines to nurture the talent who will become the next generation of leaders, such as Starzl Academy and NUCATS education and training programming.

Now, as we look to the future, greater accomplishments are on the horizon. We expect more than $1.5 billion in federal research funding over the next decade now that our new building is open. In coming years, we plan to embark on a second phase of expansion and add 16 additional lab floors in the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center.

While we are excited about our growth and plans ahead, we know it is our people who make Feinberg such a special place to work, learn and do research. Our office is committed to supporting a diverse community of faculty, students, trainees and staff and fostering a culture of belonging and inclusion for all.

Thank you for your interest in Feinberg research. Please contact us for more information.

Sincerely,

Rex L. Chisholm, PhD
Vice Dean for Scientific Affairs and Graduate Education
Adam and Richard T. Lind Professor of Medical Genetics