Faculty Mentor/s:
Bill Gaudelli, College of Education; Dinissa Duvanova, International Relations; Khanjan Mehta, Creative Inquiry
Students on the team:
Dylan McFarland ‘25
Ellison Judd ‘25
Project Description:
IRBs (Institutional Review Boards) are bodies established by governments consisting of multidisciplinary groups of experts, charged with reviewing and monitoring research proposals involving human subjects. IRBs ensure that ethical conduct processes are followed and guard against the exploitation of human subjects in research, whether the field is biomedical, social science, public health, etc, as well as providing the necessary validation for publishing in peer-reviewed and accredited journals. Lehigh, like all U.S. universities that conduct research, has an IRB, and approval is required for any research project that involves working with human subjects. Kazakhstan, a nation with dozens of universities and research institutes, has no IRB process for human subjects research outside of clinical (medical) research. As the country continues its transition to a knowledge economy and more research studies are undertaken by universities, there is a need for better research protections and building a culture of research integrity. In collaboration with faculty and students at Almaty Management University and other Kazakh stakeholders, this project will focus on developing the framework for an IRB-like body in Kazakhstan, building necessary partnerships and executing on this shared vision in order to promote the growth of their research enterprise, expand their research capabilities, and build a system of integrity in that research. All majors are welcome to apply.
Month/Year Project Began:
January 2022