Interim VPR Miguel Garcia-Diaz to Depart in Coming Months
February 15, 2024
Dear Stony Brook Community,
Miguel Garcia-Diaz, our interim vice president for research (VPR), advised me that he has accepted a position as vice president for research, scholarship and innovation at the University of Delaware and will be departing Stony Brook in the coming months. Miguel’s many contributions to Stony Brook as an accomplished educator, researcher, administrator, and mentor have played an essential role in advancing a culture of research, innovation, and collaboration on our campus.
I am thrilled for Miguel’s new opportunity but deeply sorry to see him go. He has been a member of our campus community for almost 20 years, first joining Stony Brook in 2007 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Since his original appointment as assistant professor in the Renaissance School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacological Sciences, he has gone on to become an eminent structural biologist — with research profoundly advancing our knowledge of mitochondria and the basis of mammalian cellular respiration.
He has been dedicated to building up a diverse, thoughtful, and collaborative new generation of researchers, a commitment embodied by his roles as director of the T32-funded training program in pharmacological sciences and co-director of the National Institute of Health’s IRACDA training program.
Over the years, Miguel has served this institution as associate dean in the Graduate School, graduate program director for the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology PhD program, interim associate vice president for research, and deputy operations manager for the Research Foundation. His work in our Facilitating Researcher Success and Strategic Budget Initiative efforts was critical.
Given his depth of experience, it was an easy decision that Miguel should serve as our interim vice president for research. I know that any institution he serves will be lucky to have his broad knowledge, work ethic, and expertise. Upon Miguel’s departure, Richard Reeder has agreed to serve as interim VPR until the on-going national search is concluded. Rich is currently serving as associate vice president for Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Affairs, a position he held simultaneously while he served as VPR and Research Foundation operations manager during the previous seven years. I am grateful for Rich’s willingness to provide leadership continuity during this transition period.
We are grateful for Miguel’s nearly two decades of service to Stony Brook. Please join me in wishing him well in this exciting next chapter.
Sincerely,
Maurie McInnis
President