Adkins Joins Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research as Assistant Research Professor

Whit Pruitt

Professor Meredith Adkins

Meredith Adkins has joined the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) as assistant research professor.

"I am thrilled to welcome Meredith to I³R, where she will build a research and corporate and community engagement program that encompasses both public policy and organizational management," said Ranu Jung, executive director and endowed chair of I³R, associate vice chancellor and Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering. "Her vast experience and remarkable ability to connect with people and industry make her a perfect fit for the Institute, where we take discoveries from development to deployment at scale. We look forward to the positive impact her work will make on I³R and the region."

Adkins is the principal investigator on I³R's National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator grant, which will support small farmers via data insights on institutional market opportunities. She was instrumental in bringing together the project's interdisciplinary team of researchers and private sector partners and is the team lead for the innovation accelerator.  

Adkins, who was recently named "One to Watch" by Celebrate Magazine, has served as director for NWA Industry and Community Engagement in the Division of Economic Development since 2021. A Fayetteville native, she spent a decade studying and working out of state and overseas before returning to her hometown to focus her efforts particularly on Arkansas and surrounding regions. She has held a number of roles of increasing responsibility at the U of A, including in the Office of Study Abroad and the Sam M. Walton College of Business. She also has devoted herself to causes that make a positive difference, including cofounding the People, Planet, and Profit Project (P4) — a graduate student-led social enterprise consultancy — and working with interdisciplinary and cross-sector initiatives such as Arkansas Global Changemakers and Arkansas Impact Investing.

She holds a Ph.D. in public policy-community development from the U of A, an M.A. in political science-international development from Colorado State and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Colorado.

About I³R: The Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research brings together thought leaders and change-makers to create innovative solutions to wicked problems. We discover, develop, deliver and deploy at scale to produce meaningful societal impact that improves quality of life and promotes economic development. Learn more at i3r.uark.edu.