Wright State basic and applied research operations, leadership consolidated

Research capabilities and leadership at Wright State University will be further strengthened as a result of developments announced recently by Vice President for Research Robert Fyffe.

The changes reflect the need to support the university’s growing portfolio of basic and applied research activity across campus, as well as the growing level of engagement in industry-sponsored research and will help the university’s drive toward preeminence in a number of disciplines in which major opportunities are emerging.

Jason Parker, director for research development

Jason Parker, who has successfully led significant growth of the Wright State Research Institute (WSRI) over the last two years, will join the Office of the Vice President for Research as director for research development.

In this role, in which he will continue to develop his own independent research program in a laboratory in the Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration (NEC) Building, Parker will be the point person for a range of university-wide research initiatives with particular focus on neuroengineering and neuroimaging opportunities to leverage the capabilities of researchers in the NEC building.

Parker will also facilitate and lead research initiatives with Wright State’s local hospital and health care affiliates.

He has a Ph.D. in medical physics from the University of Florida and prior to joining WSRI in 2012 was senior scientist for imaging science research at the Kettering Health Network.

Matt Grushon, director of research compliance

Matt Grushon has also joined the Office of the Vice President for Research, to serve the university as director of research compliance.

The expanding scope and complexity of faculty research simultaneously expands the scope and complexity of research compliance demands, and Grushon’s new office will provide faculty and staff throughout the institution with expert, authoritative advice and guidance on specific compliance topics so the university continues to meet all requirements.

Grushon has been with the university for several years in the College of Education and Human Services and for the last two years served as director of operations at WSRI. He received his J.D. from The Ohio State University.

Dennis Andersh, CEO of the Wright State Applied Research Corporation and Wright State Research Institute

Dennis Andersh, CEO of the Wright State Applied Research Corporation (WSARC), will continue in that role and will serve additionally as the executive director of WSRI, reporting directly to the vice president for research. The consolidation of WSRI/WSARC leadership provides consistency and uniformity of research administration and oversight.

This consolidation is accompanied by reorganization of functions and reporting within WSRI to maximize focus and effectiveness as well creating even stronger bridges for engagement of faculty researchers from various colleges and schools.

Andersh has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership, management and innovation, most recently with Leidos (formerly called SAIC), and degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona and The Air Force Institute of Technology.

The implementation of these changes at the university will be accompanied by related actions to further strengthen assistance provided to Wright State faculty from the Office of Technology Transfer in support of commercialization activity. In addition, critical Institutional Review Board processes will be supported and enhanced through more staff support, and ongoing training of students, faculty and staff in responsible conduct of research will be expanded.

The Offices of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, Research and Sponsored Programs, Technology Transfer and Research Compliance are poised to help all faculty and staff reach their goals in research and scholarly activity and to contribute significantly to enhancement of the region’s economy.