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A Blog Devoted to UD Innovation, Excellence & Scholarship

VPRSI ANNOUNCED

Miguel Garcia-Diaz, an accomplished administrator, researcher and educator with more than 15 years of higher education experience at Stony Brook University, has been named vice president for research, scholarship and innovation at the University of Delaware, effective May 1.

A member of Stony Brook’s faculty in pharmacological sciences since 2007, Garcia-Diaz has served as interim vice president for research, operations manager for the SUNY Research Foundation, associate dean of the Graduate School, and director of the doctoral program in molecular and cellular pharmacology. In addition, he has maintained an active research program on campus and in collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory.

“Miguel Garcia-Diaz brings tremendous knowledge, talent and drive to his new role as leader of UD’s research enterprise,” said Assanis. “His collaborative leadership and demonstrated commitment to excellence and partnership-building will add great value to our community of researchers and scholars, accelerating the application of ingenuity to positive impact for Delaware and the world. We look forward to the exciting developments in research, scholarship and innovation that lie ahead.”

Reporting directly to the University president, the vice president for research, scholarship and innovation is responsible for supporting and advancing UD’s research enterprise, which currently exceeds $237 million annually in externally funded projects. The vice president has direct oversight of several multidisciplinary initiatives and is responsible for University-wide research institutes and centers, as well as UD’s research core facilities. Garcia-Diaz will work to enhance the reputation and value of the University’s innovation portfolio, including patent licensing, technology transfer and entrepreneurship. He will also work closely with the president and other senior administrators in sustaining the growth of the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, and collaborate with the provost to promote academic and research excellence.

“I am thrilled to be joining the University of Delaware as vice president for research, scholarship and innovation,” Garcia-Diaz said. “This role presents an extraordinary opportunity to create meaningful impact while supporting the UD community’s culture of entrepreneurship and excellence in research and scholarship. I look forward to working together with President Assanis, his leadership team and UD’s faculty, staff and students to advance the University’s mission and sustain its impressive growth.”

Garcia-Diazsucceeds Kelvin Lee, Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, who has served as interim vice president since July 2022; Lee will return to his leadership role full-time at the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), headquartered on UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus.

Assanis added, “I also want to thank Kelvin Lee for his service as interim vice president. The University, and especially our research community, is grateful for his dedication and leadership of the research enterprise over the past several months.”