Dolbow Named Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation
John Dolbow, a professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and professor of mathematics, has been appointed associate vice president for research & innovation to support sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics, Vice President for Research & Innovation Jennifer Lodge has announced.
Dolbow, who has served as an assistant vice president for research & innovation since 2020, transitioned to his role on Nov. 1.
“Throughout his time with the Office for Research & Innovation (OR&I), John has proven to be an effective leader and a key advocate for the needs of our faculty. The Research Data Initiative (RDI), which he led, established a model of community engagement our office strives to maintain.,” Lodge said. “We are thrilled for him to take on a broader role focused on building connections with our faculty and shaping our office services.”
In his new role, Dolbow will have an expanded portfolio focused on liaising with faculty in the STEM fields and assisting OR&I leadership in developing support and services for all researchers, including faculty, trainees, and staff. He will remain a critical voice in developing OR&I programs and resource by providing faculty perspective to ongoing research efforts.
Additionally, Dolbow will guide OR&I’s efforts to support institutional efforts, such as the Duke Science & Technology (DST) initiative, and promote faculty recognition through the election to the national academies and other prestigious institutions.
“John’s practical experience as a researcher, mentor, and faculty member will continue to enable our office to connect with the research community,” Lodge said. “In his capacity as an assistant vice president, he did an outstanding job articulating and responding to the needs and challenges of faculty members. We know he will continue to find innovative paths that allow Duke research to keep moving forward.”
Dolbow will serve as faculty contact for a number of established OR&I programs, such as the DST seed grant opportunities, as well as working to develop and deliver new programs, such as a DST Scholars community.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for science and technology at Duke,” Dolbow said. “It is a privilege for me to serve the university in this capacity, and I look forward to working with OR&I leadership and the community to both advance and be an advocate for Duke’s distinctive strengths in all things STEM.”
Dolbow previously served as a member of Academic Council, director of graduate studies for the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, and chair of the Engineering Faculty Council. He was a Computational Science Graduate Fellow (CSGF) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and has received several awards from the computational mechanics community for his research on fracture mechanics.
He currently holds leadership positions in his scientific community, including secretary-general for the International Association for Computation Mechanics and chair of the DOE CSGF Steering Committee.