Contact

Duncan Brown, Vice President for Research
Duncan Brown is the Vice President for Research and the Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics. A Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Scholar, Duncan has won numerous awards for his contributions to LIGO’s ground-breaking discoveries, including the Gruber Cosmology Prize and the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. He has taught large and small courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, including the popular undergraduate course “Introduction to Astronomy,” for which he won a Meredith Teaching Recognition Award. Through his involvement with the Senate Research Committee and his wider involvement with initiatives around Syracuse’s shared facilities, Duncan has worked to establish research connections across campus and was a leader in creating SU’s Research Computing group, whose work has enabled research and scholarship across SU’s schools and colleges.  As Vice President for Research, Duncan’s goal is to enable wider landscape of research, scholarship, and creative endeavors across the Syracuse campus. He brings exceptional skills in creating and supporting research teams, in project management, and in mentoring faculty, students, and postdocs to the Office of Research. Learn more about Prof. Brown.

Juliette Rawda, Executive Assistant, Office of Research
As Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Research, Juliette adeptly oversees principal administrative tasks for the VPR. For inquiries or to arrange a meeting with Vice President Duncan Brown, please reach out to Juliette directly.

Colleen Burton, Senior Director of Finance & Research Initiatives
In her role as Senior Director of Finance & Research Initiatives, Colleen is responsible for financial planning and budget operations, IT and research data analytics & reporting, and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.  In close collaboration with Office of Research leadership and campus partners, she works to facilitate and enhance cross-campus initiatives to advance research and creative activities in support of the academic strategic plan. She brings extensive experience in financial planning & analysis and academic research from previous roles at the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and Lockheed Martin. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova University. Colleen is affiliated with the Maxwell School’s Department of Political Science as an Assistant Professor by courtesy.

Chetna Chianese, Senior Director of Research Development
As the senior director of the Office of Research Development, Chetna is responsible for supporting Syracuse University’s proposal, research, and faculty development efforts. Chetna works to facilitate team-based collaborations around strategic funding opportunities; develop institutional research infrastructure, including relevant staffing, training, and systems; and manages the University’s internal funding competitions.

Stuart Taub, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
As director of the Office of Sponsored Programs, Stuart oversees a service-centered office, responsible for assisting faculty, staff and students in the preparation and submission of research proposals and the management of externally funded research and scholarly projects. Prior to his appointment as director, Taub served as interim director, associate director, and research administrator for the Office of Sponsored Programs

Tracy Cromp, Director, Office of Research Integrity and Protections
As director of the Office of Research Integrity and Protections (ORIP), Tracy supports members of the ORIP team in ensuring that research involving human participants and animals is being conducted in accordance with University, local, state, and federal regulations and guidelines. Her primary duties include: overseeing the Human Research Protection Program, Laboratory Animal Resources,  providing administrative support for the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the Responsible Conduct of Research Program.

Brian Gerling,  Executive Director, Office of Technology Transfer
As executive director of the Office of Technology Transfer, Brian oversees the management of University-owned intellectual property arising from the research and scholarly activity of the University community. In this role, he provides guidance to and works closely with researchers, corporate licensees, and sponsors. Brian also serves as the director of the Innovation Law Center and is a Professor of Practice in the College of Law.