Benjamin Davis

Chair and Professor of Chemical Engineering

Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art has the responsibility for the oversight of all research involving human subjects conducted or supported through research activities which are conducted by faculty, students and/or staff associated with the Cooper Union. The goal of this oversight is to protect the rights, privacy and welfare of all human participants in research while respecting, supporting and enhancing the responsible and ethical scholarship activities of the faculty, students and staff.

To achieve this goal, the IRB has the authority to review, approve, modify or disapprove research protocols submitted by faculty, staff and student investigators which involve human subjects as well as to monitor and review their progress. The review and monitoring processes are to be guided by federal rules and regulations, and are based on the Protection of Human Subject Code of Federal Regulations, the Belmont Report and provisions of 45CFR46 – Protection of Human Subjects. These regulations require institutions receiving federal funds to have all research involving human participants be approved by an IRB.

Professor Davis has been a member of the IRB since January, 2013.