SIU Carbondale’s new R1 designation reflects its breadth and depth of research. (Top photo) Microbiology student Danielle Snyder tends to plants growing in simulated regolith. (Second photo) Doctoral student Magdalene Pine Adjei works on a project to examine congenital pituitary deficiencies. (Third photo) Associate Professor Jia Liu and her students seek ways to remove PFAS from groundwater. (Bottom photo) Assistant Professor Lahiru Jayakody investigates how to turn waste plastic into food. (Photos by Russell Bailey)
February 13, 2025
Southern Illinois University Carbondale officially among top research schools in the U.S.
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University Carbondale today (Feb. 13) has officially entered the ranks of the top research universities in the nation: It has been designated Research 1, or R1, in the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.
The prestigious designation by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching confirms SIU Carbondale is in the same league as elite private and flagship universities across the country. Less than 5% of the nearly 4,000 classified institutions are designated Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production.
“This is an exciting day for Southern and our campus community, and it is a milestone for all Salukis to celebrate,” SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane said.
Lane said exploring the R1 designation was an objective in the Imagine 2030 strategic plan, which includes a research and innovation pillar.
“The R1 designation affirms what we already know – SIU Carbondale is among the top research universities in the country,” he said. “As the only R1 in rural Illinois and within 100 miles, we are uniquely positioned as a powerhouse for innovation in this region. Our faculty and staff imagined earning this designation, and they worked tirelessly to get us to achieve it. I want to thank them personally for all they’ve done to make this day possible, and I am especially grateful for our talented, hard-working faculty.”
With its new designation under Carnegie’s revised criteria, SIU Carbondale is one of just six R1 universities in the state of Illinois, on the same level as Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and U of I Chicago.
Media advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover SIU Carbondale’s celebration of its R1 designation with an invitation-only event, including university leaders, research faculty and other special guests. The festivities will start at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 17, at Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center.
Costas Tsatsoulis, vice chancellor for research, said the new R1 designation highlights the university’s status as a comprehensive doctoral research university, which includes the SIU School of Medicine campus in Springfield.
“Our research, scholarship and innovation include disciplines in STEM, in the arts, the humanities, law, medicine, business, education, agriculture, social sciences and more,” Tsatsoulis said. “We cover from A to Z, from accounting to zoology, from photography to photosynthesis and from aquaculture to forestry to quantum physics.
“Our elevation to R1 bolsters our efforts toward securing research funding, continuing to recruit high-quality faculty and students, and further supports the vision of Imagine 2030.”
How the designations work
Carnegie maintains and releases reports on universities meeting research and doctoral production benchmarks every three years. R1 universities must have at least 70 research doctorates and $50 million in research expenditures. In 2023, for example, SIU Carbondale had 102 research doctorates and $58.3 million in research expenditures.
“Becoming R1 enhances our global reputation as a university with a wide variety of research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students,” Tsatsoulis said. “SIU Carbondale has excellent research facilities, well-funded research centers and outstanding faculty guiding graduate students toward master’s and doctoral degrees.”
Research of a ‘very high’ level
The R1 designation verifies SIU Carbondale faculty conduct research at a very high level, enhancing the classroom experience at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Faculty, students and staff on the Carbondale campus and the School of Medicine campus in Springfield have played a pivotal role in the university attaining R1 status, and they will continue to play a key part in maintaining SIU Carbondale’s designation, Tsatsoulis said.
“Our faculty will continue to lead SIU Carbondale through their research grants, contracts, partnerships with industry and the state, through collaborations across the nation and world, and through excellence in their disciplines, and training and mentoring of students,” Tsatsoulis said.
