Lead with PRIDE
Knowledge in Action
Fresno State stands at the intersection of regional necessity and global opportunity. Knowledge in Action will accelerate research and creative activity that addresses pressing challenges such as water, agriculture, health, education, and equity while connecting discoveries to global conversations. By investing in faculty innovation and student research, we will ensure that the Valley’s solutions contribute to worldwide progress.
To fulfill this promise, Fresno State is launching initiatives that expand faculty innovation, amplify student research, and connect our expertise to partners across the Valley and around the world. Each effort within this Pillar is designed to translate discovery into impact, thereby tackling urgent challenges locally while ensuring our solutions shape and inform the global stage.
Knowledge in Action initiatives include:
The Fresno State Forensic Science Institute will be the only undergraduate training hub of its kind west of the Rockies, uniting anthropology, criminology, psychology, biology, and forensic science in one comprehensive program. Building on Fresno State’s nationally recognized strengths in forensic behavioral sciences and its active forensic anthropology lab that already supports faculty research and local law enforcement, the Institute will provide students and Valley professionals with unparalleled, career-ready training. This initiative will position Fresno State as a leader in holistic forensic education, advancing both regional impact and national distinction.
Biotech Valley Faculty & Industry Strategic Innovation Program will establish a dynamic hub where faculty, students, and industry leaders come together to accelerate discovery and innovation in the Valley’s growing biotech sector. By combining Fresno State’s agricultural technology expertise with regional manufacturing and quality assurance strengths, the program will spark cutting-edge research, educational pathways, and industry partnerships. This initiative will position Fresno State as the engine of a biotech ecosystem that addresses local needs while contributing solutions with global reach.
The Research Catalyst Initiative will transform Fresno State into the research hub of Central California. It will achieve this through a powerful three-pronged strategy: recruiting and retaining exceptional faculty, providing buyouts that free scholars to focus on discovery, and fueling junior researchers with the seed funding to launch pioneering new ideas. This initiative will center on recruiting 15 world-class researchers and their labs in clusters such as engineering, agriculture, biotech, AI and more as well as establishing an endowment that will generate the annual resources in perpetuity to both free faculty from teaching obligations so they can pursue their research and to seed the research of promising junior scholars, making Fresno State a destination of choice for emerging change makers. This approach positions Fresno State as the destination for discovery, while ensuring the Valley’s solutions influence the global stage. This initiative is designed to ignite lasting discovery rooted in Valley strengths yet powerful in global reach.
“The continued R2 designation shows that we are competitive and it recognizes the quality of the research work that is being done at our university. The prestige of being an R2 institution also helps with recruitment of faculty and students and lets our community of potential donors know that we are a research university.”