Rice University’s Office of Research has named Eduardo Salas and Michael King as associate vice presidents for research. King, the E.D. Butcher Professor of Bioengineering and special adviser to the provost on life science collaborations with the Texas Medical Center, will be the associate vice president for research, physical and life sciences and engineering. In this new role, King will champion and help to develop initiatives and efforts related to these fields of study. He will also support lab safety across campus, animal research, human subjects and Rice’s Institutional Review Board. Additionally, King will coordinate efforts between Ramamoorthy Ramesh, executive vice president of research, and the Office of the Provost.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mike as the newest member of our team,” Ramesh said.
Salas, the Allyn R. and Gladys M. Cline Professor of Psychological Sciences, will be the associate vice president for research, collaborative engagement and team science.
In this new role, Salas will support research endeavors within the schools of humanities and social sciences. Salas will also boost collaboration in multidisciplinary teams across campus and those seeking large grants. He will work with Vinod Veedu, associate vice president for research and head of the Defense Research Advancement initiative, and he will seek to understand the challenges of multidisciplinary collaborations across campus and provide team science guidance capability.
“Salas’ practical experience as a researcher over a 40-year career, as a mentor and as a faculty member at Rice for 10 years will enable our office to connect with the research community across campus,” Ramesh said. “We are excited to welcome both Mike and Eduardo to these critical roles. They will work as an alliance to help our scientific teams excel and innovate.”
King, who is also a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar, is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), Biomedical Engineering Society and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. He served as editor-in-chief of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. He also served as chair of the BME council of chairs, previously taught at Vanderbilt University and Cornell University and served as chair of the AIMBE College of Fellows.
Salas is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the Association for Psychological Sciences (APS). He is a recipient of six lifetime achievement awards for his contributions to team science and learning and development, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions to Psychology from the APA, the James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to the area of applied psychological research from the APS and the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology from the APA. He is a prolific author with over 680 publications and the recipient of close to $70 million in grants and contracts over four decades.