Michelle Popowitz, JD, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader in large-scale, goal-driven research initiatives. She currently serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research at UCLA and Executive Director of the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge, where she oversees the strategy, coordination and growth of complex research and implementation activities, bridging university and external stakeholder priorities. She holds degrees in Sociology and Public Health from UCLA and Law from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Popowitz joined UCLA in 2001 and served in pivotal administrative roles in the School of Dentistry before moving to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research in 2011. There, she implemented centralized programs designed to increase shots on goal and collaboration, before conceptualizing and launching the university’s pioneering Grand Challenges program. With this program, the university established two ambitious, SMART-goal–oriented initiatives: the Depression Grand Challenge and the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge. After nearly a decade in the central research office, Popowitz transitioned to support the Depression Grand Challenge full-time in 2020. In her role as Executive Director, she oversees strategic planning, finances, operations, partnerships, communications, governance, and fundraising, taking the initiative from a start-up to a new model for university research and external collaborations. Popowitz serves as an influential voice in the national conversation about university-led grand challenges and public impact-focused research. She has advised dozens of institutions, delivered more than 40 invited talks, and led workshops and working groups with professional organizations such as NORDP and APLU. With deep institutional roots and a passion for research that tackles society’s most difficult problems, Popowitz is a champion for universities customizing their approaches for achieving bold, collaborative solutions with, and for the benefit of, their communities.