Virginia Tech announces search committee for vice president for research, innovation

The vice president provides critical leadership and oversight to Virginia Tech’s academic research enterprise and further enhances the university’s entrepreneurial and innovative culture, grows commercialization opportunities, and builds relationships with corporate and foundation partners.

The new vice president for research and innovation will replace Theresa Mayer, who left Virginia Tech in June to accept a position with Purdue University.

Michael Friedlander, executive director of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute; vice president for Health Sciences and Technology; and senior dean for Research for VTC School of Medicine, will chair the search committee. Search committee members are as follows:

• France Belanger – professor, Accounting Information Systems.
• Daniel Crawford – professor, Chemistry.
• Megan Dolbin-MacNab – associate professor, Human Development and Family Sciences.
• Michael Fox – associate professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Fox Lab.
• Julia Gohlke – associate professor, Population Health Sciences.
• Jim Hawdon – professor and interim chair, Sociology; director, Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention.
• Matt Holt – department head, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
• Bill Hopkins – director, Global Change Center; director, Interfaces of Global Change; professor, Fish and Wildlife Conservation.
• Sylvester Johnson – assistant provost for the humanities.
• Steve McKnight – vice president for strategic alliances.
• Sally Morton – dean, College of Science; interim director, Fralin Life Sciences Institute.
• Dwayne Pinkney – senior vice president for operations and administration; chief business officer.
• Karen Roberto – director, Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment; University Distinguished Professor.
• Akshay Sharma – department chair, Industrial Design.
• Pamela Stiff – senior administrative assistant and event coordinator, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
• Eileen Van Aken – department head, Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Holly Williams – assistant director of administrative operations, Institute for Creativity, Art, and Technology.

The search committee will be supported by a staff that includes Jack Finney, vice provost for faculty affairs; Leah Taylor, director of human resources for the office of the executive vice president and provost; Anna LoMascolo, co-director of the Women’s Center; and Leslie Sullivan, faculty affairs coordinator for the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.

Virginia Tech has engaged Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates to assist with this search and welcomes nominations for the position. For confidential inquiries or to nominate an individual for this position, email Liz Moseley, senior associate at Storbeck/Pimentel.

The position description, application process, and search updates will be available on the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost (www.provost.vt.edu) website.