Purdue names three new AVPs for research

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Karen Plaut, executive vice president of research, has announced appointments in three key leadership positions in the Office of Research.  

Jennifer Freeman, professor of toxicology in the School of Health Sciences, has been named assistant vice president for research development; James Mohler, professor of computer graphics technology and research integrity officer for the Office of the Provost, will become the new associate vice president for scientific integrity and research compliance; and Preeti Sivasankar, professor and head of the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, has been named assistant vice president for strategic health research.

“Jennifer, Jamie and Preeti are very welcome additions to our research enterprise,” Plaut said. “They will each play an important role in helping research faculty, staff and students excel in their work while contributing to overall research excellence at Purdue.”

Jennifer Freeman, assistant vice president for research development

Jennifer Freeman, who received her PhD in environmental toxicology and molecular cytogenetics from the University of Illinois, joined Purdue in 2007 after completing post-doctoral work at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. She recently served as associate head of the School of Health Sciences and earlier had been interim director of the Center for the Environment. She also has co-led the PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) research group and the Environmental Stressors Research Community in the Institute for a Sustainable Future.

Freeman also directed the School of Health Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum Committee from 2013 to 2019 and developed and directed the School of Health Sciences Undergraduate Honors Research Program from 2011 to 2021.

Freeman will serve as assistant vice president for research development on a part-time basis while maintaining her current responsibilities and research program.

In her new role, Freeman will work with research staff, faculty and associate deans for research to develop, evaluate, implement and streamline various research programs and processes, including internal Purdue competitions that expedite funding. She will be responsible for gathering and evaluating insights from foundations, funding agencies, and industry on how to make Purdue’s research portfolio more competitive.  Freeman will also lead development of success metrics for research programs.

James Mohler, associate vice president for scientific integrity and research compliance

James “Jamie” Mohler, who received his PhD in education at Purdue, comes to his new role as associate vice president for scientific integrity and research compliance after serving in various administrative roles at Purdue since 2008. Mohler, professor of computer graphics technology, most recently served as associate dean of the Graduate School with executive responsibility over the Graduate Programs Office, the Office of Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs, Graduate Records, the Thesis Dissertation Office and Information Management and Analysis office. He will continue to serve as the university’s research integrity officer, a position he has held since 2019.

Mohler earlier served Purdue Polytechnic as associate dean of academic affairs and diversity from 2011 to 2015. In that role, he was responsible for undergraduate and graduate education, and faculty development.

In his new full-time role with the Office of Research, Mohler will provide executive leadership and coordination among the various research compliance areas including the Institutional Review Board, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Conflict of Interest, Export Control and Research Security.

Mohler also will be responsible for ensuring the university’s compliance with all existing research-related federal, state and university regulations, policies and standards, and will monitor new and evolving regulations and update Purdue’s regulations, policies and standards as needed, maintaining and enhancing Purdue’s research regulatory-related accreditations.

Preeti Sivasankar, assistant vice president for strategic health research

Beyond her roles as professor and head of the Purdue Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS), Preeti Sivasankar holds courtesy faculty appointments in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, the Center on Aging and the Life Course, and the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Sivasankar’s research focuses on voice disorders and laryngeal physiology and has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2008. She is a fellow of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association and an associate fellow of the American Laryngological Association.

Sivasankar will serve as assistant vice president for strategic health research on a part-time basis while maintaining her current responsibilities and research program in SLHS.

As assistant vice president, Sivasankar brings expertise from past participation on grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health and successful mentoring of early career faculty in procuring NIH funding. She will work closely with Bryan Boudouris, associate vice president for strategic interdisciplinary research, in accelerating the university’s health-related extramural grant portfolio. 

These three appointments will take effect July 1.

Writer/Media contact: Amy Raley, araley@purdue.edu

Source: Peter Shelby, pwshelby@purdue.edu