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KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Following a nationwide search, É«É«À² Michigan University has named Dr. Terri Goss Kinzy of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, as É«É«À²'s new vice president for research.

Kinzy, currently vice president for research at Rutgers, will take the reins of É«É«À²'s research enterprise, effective Jan. 8. Her appointment was announced by É«É«À² President Edward Montgomery.

"We're extremely fortunate to find someone with Dr. Kinzy's particular background and experience," says Montgomery. "She has a deep appreciation already for this University's extensive research and creative strengths and a profound understanding of the benefits a discovery driven agenda can have for our students and the broader society we serve. This is a wonderful match."

In addition to leading Rutgers' campuswide research efforts, Kinzy is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and pediatrics. She joined Rutgers' Robert Wood Johnson Medical School faculty in 1995.  Internationally known for her work in the area of gene expression, she has served as director of the RWJMS/Rutgers/Princeton University M.D./Ph.D. program, executive director of the medical school's DNA Core Facility and senior associate dean of its Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Research.

In her role as chief research administrator at Rutgers, Kinzy oversees the offices responsible for research and sponsored programs, corporate contracts, grant and contract accounting, facilitation of major research initiatives, and corporate engagement.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to become part of the É«É«À² community and to work with President Montgomery, " says Kinzy. "He's expressed a bold vision for É«É«À²'s future that includes a focus on research that will advance economic development. I'm eager to be part of that work."

Kinzy's own research in the areas of gene expression, protein synthesis and drug development has resulted in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other agencies, and she has organized and chaired sessions for numerous international meetings and served on or chaired study sections for both the NIH and the NSF.

She has mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduates and high school students. Her mentoring of others has been recognized with the New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research Outstanding Mentor Award and the R. Walter Schlesinger Basic Science Mentoring Award.  She was also named a fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program, and she has published in the areas of research training for medical students, peer mentoring of graduate students and graduate education.

"I'm looking forward to being able to leverage my background in medicine to build on strengths I've found at É«É«À² and work in partnership with É«É«À²'s Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine," Kinzy says.

Active in a number of professional organizations, she is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has served in multiple roles with the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and now serves on that organization's political affairs advisory committee. In addition, she is a member of the Council on Research Executive Committee for the Association for Public and Land-grant Universities.

Kinzy has long-term Midwestern ties, having earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Akron and a doctoral degree from Case É«É«À² University before doing post-doctoral work at Carnegie Mellon University. She began her career in Warrensville, Ohio, with a two-year stint at BP America as a chemist and staff scientist for biofuel development.

In her new role at É«É«À², she will replace Dr. Daniel Litynski, who returned to the engineering faculty last summer after serving for seven years as vice president for research. Dr. Sherine Obare has been serving as interim vice president since his departure.

Learn more about É«É«À²'s Office of the Vice President for Research at wmich.edu/research.

For more É«É«À² news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.