UAlbany Names Vice President for Research
UAlbany's new Vice President for Research, James A. Dias, at his Wadsworth Center laboratory. In the background are UAlbany doctoral student Kerri Kluetzman and research scientist Richard Thomas. (Photo Mark Schmidt)
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ALBANY, N.Y. (January 11, 2011) --
Research scientist James A. Dias has been named Vice President for Research at the University at Albany, following a national search.
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Dr. James Dias at work in the lab with Kerri Kluetzman, who is studying for a doctorate in molecular genetics at UAlbany's School of Public Health. (Photo Mark Schmidt) |
Dias was appointed interim Vice President for Research in fall 2009, succeeding Lynn Videka, who left to become dean of the Silver School of Social Work at New York University. Dias's academic affiliation is with the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the School of Public Health at UAlbany, where he previously served as chair for seven years, from 2002-'09.
"UAlbany’s research initiatives are critical to our mission as a leading SUNY research university. Dr. Dias will provide the strategic vision, dedication and leadership necessary to advance UAlbany's research profile and reputation," said UAlbany President George M. Philip.
Dias was a member of the Department of Biochemistry at Albany Medical College from 1981-1988; he has been with the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health since 1988 in various roles, including research scientist and scientific director of the Wadsworth Center's scientific core facilities; and he has served on editorial boards, study sections, and external advisory panels.
He was the recipient of several National Institutes of Health (NIH) career development awards, including an individual National Research Service Award, a New Investigator Award, and a Research Career Development Award (1985). He has published more than a hundred research articles on the reproductive hormones that control high-quality gametogenesis, and has been funded by the NIH for more than 20 years. Gametogenesis is the production of haploid sex cells that each carry half the genetic complement of the parents from the germ cell line of each parent.
Dias earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Gonzaga University, and master's and doctoral degrees in animal science from Washington State University. His subspecialty was reproductive physiology.
Professor Kenneth L. Demerjian, Ray Falconer Endowed Chair and director of UAlbany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, chaired the search committee for the position of vice president for research.
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