Dr. Michael Warnock will join St. Thomas effective May 22 as the director of sponsored research. Warnock currently serves as associate director of sponsored programs at the University of California at Davis, and he will be directing the newly restructured Sponsored Research Office at St. Thomas. He will be responsible for providing a comprehensive support system for faculty to seek, obtain and successfully complete externally funded research projects.
He also will be creating collaborative networks with related offices (IRB, Faculty Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Controller’s Office) to ensure effective communication and smooth execution of all external grant activities.
Warnock has a Ph.D. in botany from the University of Texas at Austin. With experience as a faculty member and researcher, he is well prepared to provide excellent leadership in this role. Currently, he oversees multiple teams at UC Davis responsible for a variety of grant submission and implementation processes, and has led efforts to increase efficiency and enhance faculty research productivity.
Prior to his time at UC Davis, Warnock developed a new faculty research office at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He took on increasingly complex administrative duties there while earning full professor status. Subsequently, he spent several years at University of Missouri, Columbia, serving as both director of sponsored programs administration and special assistant to the vice chancellor for research.
Dr. Robert Riley thanks the members of the search committee: Dr. David Forliti, Ryan French, Dr. Sameer Kumar, Dr. Dalma Martinovic-Weigelt, Dr. Mary Reichardt, Dr. Mark Stansbury-O’Donnell and Dr. Patrick Van Fleet, and chaired by Dr. Ann Johnson, for bringing to St. Thomas an individual with a track record and vision to help elevate sponsored research in a dynamic and innovative fashion.
