Announcing the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation

January 18, 2018

Dear Members of the Rutgers University–New Brunswick Community:

I am delighted to announce that Dr. Prabhas Moghe, Distinguished Professor in the School of Engineering, has accepted our offer to be the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (VCRI) for Rutgers University–New Brunswick, effective January 16, 2018. This critically important position, as I wrote to you last semester, will report directly to me and work closely with the Provost, the academic deans, and various Center Directors.

This new office will be responsible for overseeing, nurturing, and advancing the faculty research enterprise at Rutgers–New Brunswick, as well as developing relationships with government agencies and the private sector to significantly enhance the visibility of our research and innovation profile. The VCRI will work closely with the campus-level interdisciplinary research centers and institutes that involve multiple New Brunswick schools and ensure that Rutgers–New Brunswick is alert to emerging research opportunities. Most importantly, the VCRI will be responsible for creating an environment and culture across campus that encourages faculty to engage in field-defining research and innovation.

In the School of Engineering, Dr. Moghe has made many prominent contributions to interdisciplinary graduate education, biomedical and health sciences, and innovations in nanomedicine. He conceptualized and directed the first NSF-funded IGERT program at Rutgers, which nucleated new collaborative networks across campus and supported the PhD training of more than 50 graduate students over the course of a decade, serving as a blueprint for several other PhD training programs that followed. Dr. Moghe has directed several diversity initiatives, which led to the establishment of some of the most diverse graduate programs in the nation, an effort for which he was recognized by the Leadership in Diversity Award at Rutgers. Most recently, Dr. Moghe has served as the Research Director for the School of Engineering's Alliances and Partnerships with RBHS.

Please join me in thanking the members of the VCRI Search Committee, chaired by Dr. Wise Young, Distinguished Professor and Richard H. Shindell Chair in Neuroscience, and an excellent group of faculty and staff for their diligent work during the fall semester. Their thoughtful work in redefining the research leadership for Rutgers–New Brunswick, I am sure, will yield significant benefits in the years to come. Please also join me in welcoming Dr. Moghe to his new role. I look forward to working with him.

Sincerely,

Deba Dutta
Chancellor