Research Profiles
Danforth Campus Expansion
As part of the Here & Next strategic plan to advance research excellence, WashU is embarking on a process to expand our research profiling system, Research Profiles, to faculty across the entire university. Initially launched at WashU Medicine, this powerful tool will be developed to serve all disciplines across the Danforth and Medical campuses, unlocking new opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and visibility.
What Is WashU Research Profiles?
WashU Research Profiles, powered by Elsevier’s Pure platform, is a dynamic and searchable database that showcases faculty expertise, research interests, and academic outputs. With over 3,000 profiles already in place, including non-medical faculty from the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), the system provides:
- Enhanced visibility for faculty expertise, enabling collaborators, funders, and media to connect with WashU researchers.
- Collaboration tools for finding mentors, interdisciplinary partners, or new research opportunities.
- Streamlined access to faculty publication histories, collaboration networks, and department-level insights.
- Expert curation of data from trusted sources, reducing administrative overhead for researchers.
A Phased Approach
To ensure a smooth implementation, the rollout follows a phased approach through the 2026-27 academic year, engaging with each school individually to address its unique needs. The timeline for each school’s participation is responsive to its priorities and the integration of scholarly data.
Led by WashU Libraries and the Bernard Becker Medical Library, with strategic guidance from the Digital Intelligence & Innovation (DI2) Accelerator, the project team will collaborate closely with faculty and administrative leaders, incorporating their feedback into the system’s configuration.
Research Profiles Updates
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Frequently Asked Questions
The expanded WashU Research Profiles system will include all full-time faculty from all schools at WashU.
Types of records found in Research Profiles include, but are not limited to:
- Articles
- Review articles
- Comments/debates
- Letters
- Editorials
- Conference contributions
- Short surveys
- Conference articles
- Papers
- Forewords/postscripts
- Books
- Book chapters
Working directly with school stakeholders, the implementation team will learn about the research outputs unique to each discipline to ensure that your academic activity is accurately represented.
Organizational data such as names, current rank, and titles is loaded from Workday, WashU’s integrated administrative system for human resources and finance. Research output in each profile is pulled from trusted citation databases and other sources to be determined collaboratively during implementation. Data sources will vary from school to school.
Organizational data will be retrieved from Workday three times a year, while research outputs from the Scopus database will be updated more frequently, usually once per week. Research outputs pulled from other sources will be updated as needed. Updates will ensure profiles remain current, reflecting the latest achievements and activities.
Although most of the information found in Research Profiles will be automatically captured and updated, faculty are invited to customize their profiles using the change request form.
The expansion is led by a dedicated team from WashU Libraries and the Bernard Becker Medical Library, with strategic direction from the Provost’s office and the Digital Intelligence & Innovation (DI2) Accelerator.
What to Expect
Leaders from each school will play an essential role in the implementation process, which will involve:
- Engaging Schools Individually | Each school will be onboarded in collaboration with its leadership to ensure the system is tailored to the needs of its disciplines.
- Collaborative Configuration | Schools will be invited to provide input on how the system can best serve their research and collaboration goals. The implementation team will work closely with stakeholders to integrate and verify data, ensuring accuracy and relevance.
- Training and Support | After launching, resources and support will be available to help faculty and staff understand the system and customize their profiles as needed.
- Ongoing Updates | Profiles will be automatically updated through trusted data sources, with opportunities for faculty to request additions or edit information.
The implementation team will maintain open communication throughout the process, addressing questions, incorporating feedback, and adapting as needed.
Get in Touch
Do you have a question or would you like to learn more? Contact the implementation team at profiles@wustl.edu.