Scott Vrieze Modernizing the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research's Data Infrastructure

The University’s Research & Innovation Office (RIO) announced that Scott Vrieze is the recipient of a 2024 Research Infrastructure Investment award. Vrieze will be leading the modernization of the data infrastructure at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research (MCTFR), with matching funds provided by the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs, the College of Education & Human Development, and the College of Liberal Arts.

From the RIO announcement: “The MCTFR, a 30-year research program, encompasses multiple large longitudinal cohorts of nuclear families with twins and adoptees (total N > 20,000), involving extensive psychological assessments including interviews, questionnaires, physiology, genetics, and brain imaging. The Center has fostered collaboration among investigators across various departments, colleges, and universities, largely funded by R01-level NIH grants totaling over $120,000,000.

As the scale and scope of the Center have grown, extramural funding for data infrastructure has become scarcer, hindering efficient analysis and increasing the learning curve for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. This challenge impacts research output and complicates the management of ongoing data collections and the generation of preliminary data needed for new extramural funding.

The proposed work is a crucial first step in updating our data infrastructure, setting the stage for successful future external funding not only for continued data collection and knowledge generation but also for ongoing infrastructure development.”

The Research Infrastructure Investment Program provides essential funding to support research infrastructure, ensuring the viability of critical facilities and research support services. The award aims to facilitate interdisciplinary partnerships and strengthen the University’s research infrastructure.

Composed by Madison Stromberg, communications assistant.