Kevin Gardner Appointed Vice President for Research
May 6, 2024
Dear Members of the Stony Brook Community,
I am pleased to share that Dr. Kevin Gardner will join Stony Brook University as vice president for research (VPR), effective August 1. Throughout his expansive career, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership fostering interdisciplinary research, mentoring junior faculty in research excellence, and advocating to advance innovation, creative activities, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
As Stony Brook’s senior research officer, Kevin will report directly to me and serve on my senior leadership team, providing oversight for research administration, strategy, policy, technology transfer and economic development while also serving as the operations manager for the SUNY Research Foundation.
Most recently Kevin served as the executive vice president for research and innovation at the University of Louisville leading a vast research enterprise and its broad-reaching innovation and technology transfer program where he was also a professor of civil and environmental engineering. Previously, he held the positions of vice provost for research and director of strategic initiatives at the University of New Hampshire where he was also a member of the faculty focusing on environmental engineering, contaminant behavior in the aquatic environment, and sustainability science and engineering.
He received his PhD and MS in civil and environmental engineering from Clarkson University and his BS in civil engineering from Union College. Over his career, he has been PI or co-PI on over $60 million in awards, produced over 100 publications and mentored over 40 graduate students as well as numerous faculty, undergraduates, teachers, and high school students.
Kevin knows what it means to collaborate and he recognizes the benefits of being, and having, a mentor. He deeply understands the importance of supporting faculty and innovative projects with multiple PIs. And he embraces the profound ways research universities can, and do, impact society. I know that Stony Brook will benefit greatly from his collaborative style and approach to reaching across institutions and industries to find new, innovative ways to apply knowledge and discoveries to real-world issues.
I would like to thank our search committee for their thorough and thoughtful efforts as well as Richard Reeder and Miguel Garcia-Diaz for their steady leadership in the interim VPR role while the national search was conducted.
Please join me in welcoming Kevin to Stony Brook University.
Sincerely,
Maurie McInnis
President