Aug 20, 2025
Dr. William Lee Alardín, Vice-Provost for International Affairs at UNAM; Dr. Soledad Funes, Coordinator for Scientific Research; and Dr. Jeannette Tamayo, Associate Vice President for Workforce and Community Development at the University of Illinois System (UIS), led the event where the final results of the second group of research projects supported by seed funds granted by both institutions were presented.
To date, the agreement signed by Rector Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas and System President Timothy Killeen has led to the support of 15 projects and 30 co-principal investigators.
Dr. William Lee celebrated both the completed and ongoing research projects and announced that efforts are underway to renew the cooperation agreement for another three years in order to continue promoting joint projects between the two institutions. For her part, Dr. Tamayo highlighted the impact of these research projects on communities in both Mexico and the United States, and stated that they could serve as a model for other institutions.
She also emphasized that these types of collaborations enhance the professional development of the participating researchers.
Dr. Soledad Funes expressed her gratitude to Dr. Elvira de Mejía, founder and executive director of the Initiative for Mexican and Mexican-American Students (I-MAAS), and to UNAM Chicago for facilitating the connections between researchers committed to developing collaborative projects focused on bringing communities closer together and contributing to the advancement of knowledge. She stressed that addressing problems from different perspectives allows for more effective solutions to shared challenges.
