162: Enhancing NSF Research & Evaluation: How Shared Leadership Between Evaluators & Program Leaders Strengthens Multi-Site Initiatives

In this presentation, we address how shared leadership between evaluators and program leaders can enhance multi-site National Science Foundation (NSF) research initiatives. For the past three years, the authors have served as external evaluators for the Institute for Data-Driven Dynamical Design (ID4), which brings together physical and data scientists—including 17 scholars from 12 sites across the country—to conduct novel research toward the design of materials and structures. We will discuss the challenges posed by evaluating national research collaboratives like ID4 and specific strategies for gathering and analyzing data across multiple sites, engaging with complex scientific topics, and generating relevant and useful evaluation reports. In highlighting the symbiotic power of shared leadership, we will address our model of collaboration, our focus on team dynamics within the Institute, and our adaptive approach to generating recommendations, particularly to extend ID4’s work in broadening participation and training the next generation of scientists.