For Ariel Aloe, research is most meaningful when it extends beyond academic journals and into schools, classrooms, and communities. A nationally recognized scholar in educational measurement, statistics, and research synthesis, Aloe has built a career around strengthening the evidence that informs educational practice and policy.

Aloe, Educational Measurement and Statistics professor, has been appointed associate dean for research in the College of Education, effective July 1, 2026, after serving in an interim capacity for one year.

“Ariel has excelled as interim associate dean for research, demonstrating a collaborative leadership style, a strong commitment to supporting faculty and graduate student scholarship, and a clear vision for advancing research that serves schools and communities,” says UI College of Education Dean Dan Clay. “His exceptional research expertise and ability to bring people together across disciplines will continue to strengthen the College of Education's culture of innovation, excellence, and impact."

A professor in the College of Education since 2015, Aloe has secured competitive funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Institute of Education Sciences, while contributing extensively to the fields of meta-analysis and systematic review methodology. He has held leadership roles with the American Educational Research Association and Campbell Collaboration's Methods Coordinating Group, served as associate director of both the Iowa Reading Research Center and the Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment, and chaired the University Research Council.

Over the past year as interim associate dean for research, Aloe has championed a vision of research in service to schools and communities while strengthening the college's research culture. He revived the Research Relay series, organized by the college’s Research Advisory Council — bringing faculty together to share their work in fast-paced, cross-disciplinary presentations — and launched other initiatives designed to foster collaboration, support grant success, and advance research excellence and innovation.

Now, Aloe officially assumes the associate dean role on July 1. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, he came to the United States in 2000 and brings a deep commitment to supporting faculty and graduate student scholarship, fostering collaboration across disciplines, and advancing research that improves outcomes for students, educators, schools, and communities.

We spoke with Aloe about his vision for research in the College of Education, the importance of building a vibrant research culture, and why he believes impactful research begins with service.

After serving as interim associate dean for research this past year, what excites you most about officially stepping into the role?

What excites me most is creating spaces where our faculty and students can explore their scientific identity. We all perceive and interact with scientific knowledge and evidence, often without realizing it—from checking the weather or the odds of our favorite team winning a championship to deciding what car or house to buy. Each of those moments involves processing information and making sense of the world around us.

You've described your approach as "research in service to schools and communities." What does that philosophy mean to you, and how does it shape your priorities as associate dean?

The principle is simple: we conduct research to better understand the world and improve people's lives. As state employees, we owe it to our schools and communities to use our expertise in partnership with educators and community leaders to better understand what works, what doesn't, and for whom.

We publish papers because that's how we share knowledge within our disciplines, and we pursue external funding because it allows us to conduct research that otherwise wouldn't be possible. But those are means to an end. Our guiding principle should always be improving the lives of our communities—starting with Iowans and, whenever possible, extending that impact across the country and the rest of the world.

Your own research focuses on evaluating evidence through systematic reviews and meta-analyses. How has that work influenced the way you think about research leadership and decision-making?

Individuals give meaning to data. Data does not have meaning by itself. Some data may be useful in answering some questions but not others. Some methodologies may be better positioned to answer some questions than others. But in the end, we are the ones who give meaning to those results. The perfect study only exists in book examples. Every time we conduct a study, we make decisions; in each decision, we compromise something. Our goal is to minimize biases, but all studies are prone to them. This is the importance of evaluating the accumulated evidence before making a policy or practical decision. 

As humans, our brains tend to find comfort in certainty. However, our lives are surrounded by uncertainty. The more we are willing to accept that every choice, every decision, carries a level of uncertainty, the more comfortable we will be with being uncomfortable.  The principle is to try to make decisions minimizing risk. To have an opinion is much easier than making a decision!

The College of Education is home to a wide range of research traditions and methodologies. How do you plan to support and connect researchers across departments?

Different types of questions require different methodologies to answer them. There are many important types of questions. Some may ask about effectiveness; others may ask about the adequacy of services; and so on. My role is to serve our faculty and research centers so they can conduct their research as effectively as possible. 

During your interim year, you helped launch and expand initiatives such as the Research Relay series. What have you learned about building a strong and collaborative research culture?

This is an example of what I mean by creating spaces. The Research Relay shows how the Research Advisory Council (RAC) and the Grants and Research Services Center (GRSC) came together to give faculty a place to share their work and learn from one another.

The more we understand what others do — and how our own work fits into the larger picture — the stronger we become as a college. Our faculty and staff research interests and productivity define who we are. When we come together, we build something more connected, sustainable, and impactful than we ever could as individuals.

You have held leadership roles with organizations such as AERA, Campbell Collaboration, and the University Research Council. What lessons from those experiences will you bring to this position?

For me, leadership is a form of service to the wider organization. I try to create systems and clarify processes when given the opportunity. Building consensus is important, but it cannot become a barrier to decision-making — inaction is also a decision. I would rather be criticized for doing than for not doing.

I am always trying to learn and improve, and I bring that mindset to my work. When I walk into a meeting, I know others bring experiences and knowledge I don’t have. That perspective helps me keep my own views in check.

How do you hope to support graduate students as emerging scholars and researchers?

This year, with RAC, we will have some student-oriented activities. But more importantly, we are going to explore the creation of a student-RAC. I am not sure exactly how it will work yet, but the basic idea is to have representation from our graduate and undergraduate students to facilitate communication and activities for our student body.

When you look ahead five years, what would you like faculty, students, and partners across Iowa to say about the impact of research in the College of Education?

I hope faculty would say the college helped them do their best work by reducing barriers, strengthening support, and creating opportunities for meaningful collaboration. I hope students would say they were included in research that mattered and that showed how rigorous, ethical scholarship can improve educational and mental health practice.

Most importantly, I hope our partners across Iowa would say our work made a difference in their schools, communities, and organizations, and that we engaged with them in ways that were responsive, ethical, and trustworthy.

Ultimately, I want our impact to be measured not only by grants, publications, and recognition, but by how well our work improves lives, informs policy and practice, and reflects the shared values of a public College of Education.