Methodology & Evaluation Research Core Facility

05/06/2026

🎉Congratulations to Jen Nelson for becoming the Vice Chancellor of the Office of Research and Innovation! Thank you for being our Interim Vice Chancellor, and we look forward to continuing to work with you in this role!

To read more about Jen Nelson's contributions to the Office of Research and Innovation and future goals, read the R&I article:

Jennifer Mize Nelson has been named the vice chancellor for research and innovation at UNL, following a rigorous internal search process. The appointment, announced May 6 by Interim Chancellor Katherine S. Ankerson, is pending approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

05/04/2026

🌟Staff Spotlight🌟
Jack Macfadyen transitioned to being an Evaluation Project Associate this winter after spending nearly two years as an Undergraduate Project Associate! He has a B.S. in Statistics & Data Analytics and a B.A. in Sociology and enjoys several aspects of the job: data analysis, learning different statistical methodology for different kinds of data, and data visualization. When he’s not at work, Jack enjoys watching (sometimes obscure) movies from a wide variety of genres and finding passion projects involving video editing or 3D modeling.

04/10/2026

🎉Congratulations to our current and former clients and partners who were just promoted (and in some cases earned tenure)!: Dipti Dev, Catherine Eichhorn, Lucia Fernadndez-Ballester, Deryl Hatch-Tocaimaza, Jennifer Nelson, Lisa PytlikZillig, Kazuo Yamazaki, Joseph Yesselman, Limei Zhang, and Alexander Zupan. 🏆

Visit the Nebraska Today post to read more and see the full list!

Ninety-five University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty members will receive promotion and/or tenure in 2026, marking a significant milestone in their academic careers. The group reflects the university’s breadth of expertise and its ongoing commitment to excellence in scholarship, instruction and pu...

04/09/2026

04/06/2026

🌟Staff Spotlight🌟

Sarah Hammami is the second of our temporary Evaluation Project Interns who started with us in January. Sarah is currently working on her PhD in Qualitative, Quantitative, and Psychometric Methods, and is enjoying learning about both our projects and what goes into them, from instrument creation to report writing. When she is not working, she enjoys binge-watching TV shows, eating good food, exercising, connecting with other people, and learning new things

03/02/2026

🌟Staff Spotlight🌟
Dr. Francine Goh has been with MERC as a Project Manager since 2023. She holds a PhD in Psychology and previously worked for MERC as a graduate intern for two summers. Dr. Goh enjoys using her skills in research design and quantitative data analysis to help clients assess what is working well in their programs and if they are meeting their project goals. She is also passionate about drawing insight from data and making findings accessible to everyone. Outside of her professional life, Dr. Goh can be found rock climbing, spending time with friends, and outdoors when the weather is pleasant.

02/27/2026

It's always great to read about the work our previous Graduate Student Interns are doing! Check out the article linked below to catch up on what Ni Ketut Wilmayani (Wilma) is currently working on.

University of Nebraska and Boys Town researchers are exploring the nature of resilience among vulnerable youth in residential care to determine ways to protect them from substance use and mental illness.

02/13/2026

Partnering with MERC for your research evaluation is a guaranteed BFF situation. Happy National Friends Day!

02/02/2026

🌟Staff Spotlight🌟
In addition to all our staff, both past and present, MERC would not be where it is today without the Graduate Student Interns! Over the past decade, we have employed over 60 graduate students (not all pictured). They provide foundational support to our projects, with some returning to complete multiple internships. MERC is proud to provide these applied learning opportunities, as well as to consider these students as part of our team!