Appointments Announced in Reorganization of UMaine Research and Graduate Studies

University of Maine executive vice president for academic affairs and provost Jeffrey Hecker has announced new appointments in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate School that have resulted from a reorganization of research and graduate studies at the University of Maine.

Effective, July 1, 2014, vice president for research Carol Kim has assumed the responsibilities of dean of the Graduate School, and will provide senior leadership to both the university’s research and graduate missions. Kim has been serving as vice president since her appointment for a two-year term Sept. 1, 2013. She is a professor of molecular and biomedical sciences, and the former director of UMaine’s Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering. Kim joined the UMaine faculty in 1998 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. In her extensively published research Kim uses the zebrafish as a model organism to study the innate immune response to pathogens. The goal is to identify factors that influence the regulation of innate immunity and the role of environmental toxicants in modulating the immune response to pathogens. Kim has successfully obtained funding from a number of sources including the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

David Neivandt has been named associate vice president for research and graduate studies. Since September 2013, Neivandt has served as director of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering. He is a professor of chemical engineering and bioengineering who came to UMaine in 2001. Neivandt has been a member of the GSBSE faculty since it was created in 2006, and is the inaugural chair of the steering committee and chair of the admission committee. In his research, Neivandt uses conventional and novel spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to study the surfaces of materials. His work focuses on the determination of the interfacial orientation and conformation of protein and lipid species, including the study of protein transport across cell membranes, and studies the gelation, dispersion and phase separation of natural and synthetic polymeric species. Neivandt’s pulp and paper-related research has included the creation of biodegradable grease-resistant coatings, carbon nanofibers from lignin, and retention-aid systems. associate vice president Neivandt will provide leadership in research areas that enhance graduate education, particularly in interdisciplinary areas. Neivandt will remain the director of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering.

Scott Delcourt has been named assistant vice president for graduate studies and senior associate dean of the Graduate School and will coordinate the daily administration of the Graduate School office. Delcourt has held leadership positions in the Graduate School since 1996, most recently as associate dean. He serves on the Executive Board of the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools and as the university’s lead member in the Northeastern Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate. Delcourt has been a member of the UMaine community since 1985 and holds cooperating appointments in both the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences and in the College of Education and Human Development.

Jason Charland has been named director of grant development. The newly established Grant Development Division is designed to increase faculty grant-seeking capacity, grant submissions and funded grant proposals at UMaine by identifying targeted funding opportunities and assisting faculty with proposal development. As director, Charland will be responsible for leading and facilitating the development, preparation and submission of large-scale, interdisciplinary funding proposals to advance Signature and Emerging Areas of research. Prior to joining the Office of the Vice President for Research, Charland was the grants management coordinator for the College of Education and Human Development, a position he held since October 2012. Faculty needing assistance identifying funding opportunities, developing proposals, interpreting review panel feedback or linking to other researchers on campus can contact Charland in the Grant Development Division.