Connaughton named director of Discovery Park’s Purdue Policy Research Institute

Stacey Connaughton, associate professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication and director of the Purdue Peace Project, has been named director of Discovery Park’s Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI), effective July 1.

“Dr. Connaughton’s past experience with the Purdue Peace Project makes her an ideal fit for PPRI,” says Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, vice president for Discovery Park. “I am confident that she will implement a strategic plan that will harness Purdue’s strengths to continue the groundbreaking work PPRI has accomplished so far.”

Connaughton’s research examines leadership and identification in geographically distributed contexts, particularly as these issues relate to virtual teams/organizations, political parties, and peace building. Connaughton also serves as director of the Purdue Peace Project, an externally funded initiative that seeks to reduce, and enhance what is known about how to reduce, the likelihood of political violence in conflict-prone regions of the world.

“Dr. Connaughton’s record of engaged scholarship in the realms of organizational communication and peace building position her well to the lead the constituencies of PPRI in addressing relevant topics and issues going forward,” says Marifran Mattson, professor and head of the Brian Lamb School of Communication.

Connaughton’s work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Russell Sage Foundation. She has been invited to present her research on virtual teams and virtual leadership to government, industry, military, and higher educational audiences, and has facilitated workshops and written guidebooks in the areas of virtual teams, leadership,  team building, and strategic planning in the United States, Canada, China and Saudi Arabia. Connaughton served as a faculty fellow for the U.S. Army Research Institute and is a consultant to USAID’s Strategic Analysis program in Liberia, West Africa. At Purdue, Connaughton teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in organizational communication, leadership and research methods and is the recipient of several teaching awards.

“I have a great deal of respect for PPRI, its outstanding team, its policy research, and its work with autonomous vehicles and beyond,” Connaughton says. “I am looking forward to working together to expand the work already done and bring some new ideas to the mix.”

Rosalee A. Clawson, interim director of PPRI, will remain on the faculty in the Department of Political Science. Under her leadership, PPRI facilitated a series of workshops on developing policy on automated transportation vehicles; strengthened the reach and profile of policy-relevant research at Purdue; and consulted numerous multidisciplinary teams. Clawson is looking forward to teaching a Data Science and Public Policy class in the fall as part of the Integrated Data Science Initiative and taking a sabbatical in the spring to continue her research on race and the media.  

About Discovery Park

Discovery Park is a place where Purdue researchers move beyond traditional boundaries, collaborating across disciplines and with policymakers and business leaders to create solutions for a better world. Grand challenges of global health, global conflict and security, and those that lie at the nexus of sustainable energy, world food supply, water and the environment, are the focus of researchers in Discovery Park. The translation of discovery to impact is integrated into the fabric of Discovery Park through entrepreneurship programs and partnerships.

About Purdue Policy Research Institute

PPRI is a research community led by faculty but including also staff, postdoctoral students, graduate and undergraduate students. The team generates policy research that attracts national and international attention and support to Discovery Park and Purdue. The PPRI team creates and participates in interdisciplinary grant activities in strategic areas. PPRI hosts a “Policy Lab” where faculty and students (fellows and affiliated faculty) work together producing new ideas and research, and supports faculty teams in incorporating policy into their projects. PPRI works closely with the director to ensure that these efforts reflect the overall goals of Discovery Park.