Discoveries in Safety
UL Research Institutes is a leading independent safety science organization with global reach. We sense and act on risks to public safety with bold hypotheses and objective investigations.
Our researchers explore both the benefits and risks of today’s technologies and pursue answers to socially relevant questions related to public safety. We take a multidisciplinary approach that engages the ingenuity of top minds across scientific disciplines to engineer a safer and more sustainable world — one in which every individual can thrive.
Since 1894, our research has diligently identified risks to humanity and our planet and countered them with science-based knowledge designed to benefit people everywhere. Today, we are hard at work discovering how safety science can help solve the increasingly urgent problems of the 21st century. We are guided by our commitment to addressing three of the world’s grand challenges: building resilience for a sustainable future; advancing individual and societal health in the 21st century; and promoting safety at the human-digital interface.
In collaboration with a best-in-class, international network of scientists and safety professionals, we define the safe and sustainable use of things from legacy materials and devices to new and emerging technologies. We strengthen the impact of our findings by disseminating them widely to other researchers and institutions around the world.
Backed by our commitment to open science, our groundbreaking research proceeds in parallel with the transformative commercial work of UL Solutions and helps inform the public safety standards and policies developed by UL Standards & Engagement. Together, we are all advancing safety science for the greater good.
UL Research Institutes continues to set the agenda for safety science as the world rises to meet global challenges like climate change and increasing digitization. Driven by our dedication to scientific discovery and our mission to build a safer world, we will remain one step ahead, ready to explore whatever appears on the next horizon.
![Research](/sites/default/files/styles/information/public/2022-06/ul-research-institutes-about-us-intro%20%281%29_0.png?itok=rEc6PHx_)
Leadership Team
Board of Trustees
![](/sites/default/files/2022-06/group_photo_ULRI-BOT.jpg)
Governance of UL Research Institutes is guided by a Board of Trustees comprised of individuals with a broad range of backgrounds and professional experiences.
![George A. Williams](/sites/default/files/2024-05/600x399_George_Williams.jpg)
George A. Williams
Board Chair
Former CEO, PMI Energy Solutions, LLC
![James P. Dollive](/sites/default/files/2022-06/600x600_James_Dollive_1_ULGRAY1.jpg)
James P. Dollive
Former Executive VP and CFO
The Schwan Food Co.
![Philip S. Khoury](/sites/default/files/2022-06/600x600_Phillip_Khoury_1_ULGRAY1.jpg)
Philip S. Khoury
Vice Provost and Ford International Professor of History
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
![Richard P. Owen](/sites/default/files/2022-06/600x600_Richard_Owen_1_ULGRAY1.jpg)
Richard P. Owen
Former Senior Electrical Inspector
City of St. Paul, Minnesota
![Darryll Pines](/sites/default/files/2022-06/600x600_Darryll_Pines_1_ULGRAY1.jpg)
Darryll Pines
President and Glenn L. Martin Professor Aerospace Engineering
University of Maryland
![Mark A. Schmid](/sites/default/files/2023-06/Mark%20Schmid.png)
Mark A. Schmid
Former Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
University of Chicago
![James M. Shannon](/sites/default/files/2024-05/600x600_Jim_Shannon_1_ULGRAY1.jpg)
James M. Shannon
Past President
International Electrotechnical Commission
![Elisabeth Tørstad](/sites/default/files/2022-06/600x600_Elizabeth_Tortad_1_ULGRAY1.jpg)
Elisabeth Tørstad
CEO
Asplan Viak AS