In her role as Senior Vice President for Research, Pell spearheaded the development of cross-disciplinary institutes for life sciences, materials, energy and environment, social sciences, cyber science, and arts and humanities. She oversaw the full development of the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences,[6] the Materials Research Institute, the Social Science Research Institute,[7] the Penn State Institutes for Energy and the Environment, and the Institute for CyberScience.[8] An outgrowth of that effort included Eva championing the construction of the state-of-the art Millennium Science Complex, home to the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences and the Materials Research Institute.[9] All six institutes reported directly to her. She was also responsible for sponsored research, compliance and the university's animal research center.