Research technology expert and computer scientist Douglas C. Schmidt has been appointed associate provost for research development and technologies by Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan R. Wente.
Schmidt will work with faculty and leaders across campus to enhance Vanderbilt’s efforts to support and advance research technologies applied by researchers. The Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering and associate chair of electrical engineering and computer science assumed his new responsibilities July 1.
“Doug has long been a leader at Vanderbilt, and in the nation, in research technology as well as the increasingly complex computer systems that make modern life possible,” Wente said. “He is a natural fit for this role, helping fellow faculty maximize their research and analysis.”
In this new role, Schmidt will report to Vice Provost for Research Padma Raghavan during the three-year, part-time appointment. He also will continue to teach and conduct research at the School of Engineering and direct the Distributed Object Computing group at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems.
Since joining Vanderbilt in 2003, Schmidt has been an active leader in committees and initiatives focused on research technologies including digital learning, technology entrepreneurship, information technology infrastructure and data sciences. He has chaired the faculty Committee on Academic Computing and Information Technology and served on the Research Advisory Committee on Information Technology and the Data Science Visions Working Group.
“Doug brings a wealth of knowledge from advancing information technologies through his own research and developing the research of others in his prior roles in industry and in the federal government,” Raghavan said. “I’m excited that he is taking on this new role to lead research development and technologies at Vanderbilt.”
“Progress in research is increasingly driven by advances and applications of information technology,” Schmidt said. “My goal in this new role is to help extend Vanderbilt’s history of success as an internationally recognized institution of excellence and innovation in the exciting and ongoing transformation of research by information technologies.”