UAIR at the 2026 Research Analytics Summit
The UAIR team recently attended and presented at the 2026 Research Analytics Summit in Newport, Rhode Island. Hosted by the Research Evaluation & Analytics Capacity Hub (REACH), the Summit brings together higher education professionals to explore topics including data analytics, governance, technology, and leadership.
This marked UAIR’s first time attending. The opportunity emerged through a former University of Arizona colleague now serving on the REACH committee. After reviewing the Summit’s goals, UAIR’s Administrative Data team saw strong alignment with their work and submitted a proposal—initially focused on an overview of UAIR’s structure and reporting approach. That concept soon evolved into a collaborative presentation with Texas Tech University.
Collaborating with Texas Tech
Texas Tech University, also an R1 institution, had planned a similar session highlighting its research analytics function. Recognizing the value of comparison across institutions of different scales, the REACH committee suggested a joint presentation.
UAIR’s Abraham Silva, Program Manager and Sarah Dasher, Senior Data Analyst partnered with Texas Tech colleagues Taylor Fidler, Director of Research Metrics and Data Analytics and Carrie Romo, Senior Director of Strategic Research Intelligence to deliver the presentation, "One Dataset, Many Audiences: Designing Research Reporting That Actually Gets Used" (access slides here). The session focused on how institutions tailor the same data for audiences with varying needs and levels of data fluency, without oversimplifying or overwhelming. Through comparing practices, surfacing common challenges, and exchanging concrete ideas for improving data communication in their own organizations, the two universities showcased how audience-specific reporting structures can improve stakeholder engagement and increase data-driven decision-making.
An Experience Worth Repeating
The opportunity to see how different people are approaching research analytics was incredibly insightful. - Abraham Silva
For Silva, the Summit offered valuable perspectives. He attended sessions exploring tools and methodologies used across institutions, including approaches for establishing key research metrics for faculty promotion and tenure that support a baseline standard for evaluation of performance. A key takeaway was the importance of expanding on how accessible research data can be used to support institutional goals.
Dasher found it especially meaningful to compare practices with peer institutions, including Arizona State University. She reflected on the innovative approaches UAIR is taking and how they compare to our peer institutions across the nation and within our home state. She also highlighted UAIR’s centralized reporting structure as a strength, as many institutions still operate in more siloed environments.
Looking Ahead
UAIR’s first Research Analytics Summit experience underscored the value of collaboration within the higher education data community. Looking forward, there are opportunities to expand on future session offerings by partnering with additional campus units such as Sponsored Research or ORP, as well as incorporating expertise from UAIR’s Data Engineering team in more technical spaces and discussions.
UAIR hopes to continue strengthening its relationship with organizations that prioritize professional development, institutional data, and research within higher education. For more information about REACH or the Research Analytics Summit, you can join their listserv here. To connect with UAIR’s Administrative Data team, email uair-admin-data@list.arizona.edu.