Third candidate for vice chancellor for research to present Thursday


Indiana University Vice Chancellor for Research Simon J. AtkinsonLAWRNCE — Indiana University’s Vice Chancellor for Research Simon Atkinson will make a public presentation Thursday, Sept. 27, as a candidate for vice chancellor for research at the University of Kansas.

He is the third of four candidates for the position who will make public presentations during their respective campus visits. His presentation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Lied Center Pavilion. A half-hour reception will follow.

Atkinson is a Chancellor's Professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) as well as professor of biology in the School of Science and an associate professor of medicine and of biochemistry and molecular biology. As vice chancellor for research at IUPUI, a position which he has held in both an interim and permanent capacity since 2015, Atkinson also serves as associate vice president for research for Indiana University with a systemwide responsibility for innovation and commercialization. He has been on the faculty at Indiana University since 1994, when he became an assistant professor at the Indiana School of Medicine, and from 2010 to 2015, he served as chair of the Department of Biology in the School of Science at IUPUI. From 2004 to 2010 he was director of the interdisciplinary graduate program in medical biophysics in the IU School of Medicine. He has been a visiting professor at Indiana State University, Eastern Michigan University, Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame.

An internationally respected researcher, he studies acute kidney injury with the goal of developing strategies to prevent or treat kidney injuries that can be caused by heart failure, cardiac surgery, toxins and contrast agents administered for diagnostic tests. His research has appeared in the Journal of Immunology, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Kidney International, the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Blood and more. From 2013 through 2017 he was on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

He has received the IU Trustees Teaching Award and in 2007 was selected to take part in IU LEAD, the Indiana University Leadership Development Academy. He has been involved in service activities at IU and served as president of Faculty Council of IUPUI from 2008 to 2010. Atkinson is a co-founder of INphoton, a life sciences startup company established in 2005, and he is involved with the startup Rene Medical Inc., established in 2014.

He has a doctorate in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology from King’s College London. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The vice chancellor for research search committee — led by Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Kristin Bowman-James — invites students, faculty and staff to attend the presentations and provide feedback of their impressions. Each candidate will prepare a presentation on the topic “Vision and Strategies for the Evolution of the Research Enterprise at KU.”

The university will release information about each candidate at least one business day before the candidate’s visit. The schedule of remaining public appearances:

  • Candidate 4 presentation: 10-11 a.m. Oct. 5, Lied Center Pavilion.

Candidate presentations will be recorded and available for viewing online after the final candidate has appeared on campus. Evaluations of all candidates are due by 4:30 p.m. Oct. 8.

The vice chancellor for research leads the KU Office of Research and advocates for research on and off campus, implements research integrity requirements, and, through the KU Center for Research (KUCR), oversees the administration of research grants and contracts primarily for the Lawrence campus. The vice chancellor also has oversight of activities related to technology commercialization and business and industry outreach. The vice chancellor reports to the provost and executive vice chancellor and works closely with the chancellor and the senior leadership team at KU.

 

Tue, 09/25/2018

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Jill Hummels

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Jill Hummels

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