APRIL 27, 2022 — Tufts University today announced the selection of Bernard Arulanandam, UTSA vice president for Research, Economic Development and Knowledge Enterprise (REDKE), as Vice Provost for Research. His appointment is effective July 1, 2022.
Tufts University is a world-class private, Carnegie R1 research university in Greater Boston with a student-centered focus for creation and application of knowledge. Selected to the Association of American Universities (AAU) in 2021, the institution is recognized for its accomplishments in education, research and innovation.
Tufts research profile is broad, robust and nationally impactful with more than 65 centers and institutes and more than 1,500 faculty. Tufts conducts sponsored research of $209.5 million annually.
“On behalf of UTSA, I share my deep appreciation for the leadership that Bernard has provided to our university’s research enterprise,” said President Taylor Eighmy. “His impact on our journey to earning Carnegie R1 designation is profound. He will be greatly missed, but we wish him and his family the very best as he embarks on his new journey.”
“I am honored to lead the research enterprise and to work with Tufts’ exceptional faculty and student-centric learning environment in one of the nation’s great innovation centers,” said Arulanandam. “The university is strongly positioned to tackle grand challenges and to make societal impact through its broad range of academic and scholarly programs.”
“I would like to sincerely thank the UTSA Knowledge Enterprise and the San Antonio community for their continued support during my tenure at UTSA,” said Arulanandam.
As a nationally recognized immunologist, Arulanandam directs a research program that is focused on elucidating host-microbial interactions and the cellular & molecular mechanisms involved in the induction of immune responses against infectious diseases. His laboratory has provided new insights into the development of vaccines against Chlamydia trachomatis, the leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial disease, and the creation of a potential live attenuated vaccine against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, identified as an important nosocomial pathogen.
His research has also advanced several models for vaccine development against Francisella tularensis. Arulanandam’s interdisciplinary research accomplishments are reflected in the funding he has received from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, his extensive citations and research publications, and a number of issued patents. Additionally, Arulanandam has successfully mentored many students and post-doctoral fellows who have now developed independent productive careers in government, industry and academia.
“Bernard has been a tremendous champion of the inextricable relationship between graduate programs and research excellence at great universities and worked tirelessly with academic affairs for the benefit of all graduate, doctoral and postdoctoral students,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy. “I’m so grateful for Bernard's leadership in advancing graduate education at UTSA, and wish him great success at Tufts."
Arulanandam was appointed assistant vice president for research in 2012. Since 2016, he has directed the research enterprise at UTSA, leading to its highest research expenditures to date. In 2018, economic development was added to his portfolio.
From 2012 to 2016, Arulanandam served as the director of the South Texas Center of Emerging Infectious Diseases and currently is on the administrative leadership team of the Vaccine Development Center of San Antonio. He currently serves as the Councilor for the Oak Ridge Association of Universities, a university partner member of the National Academies’ Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable, and a member of the Board of Directors for BioMedSA.
In 2015, Arulanandam was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and he received the Fulbright International Education Administrator Award in 2016. In 2017, he was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM). Most recently, he was inducted as a fellow to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in 2019. Arulanandam obtained a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical College of Ohio, a postdoctoral fellowship at the Albany Medical College in New York and an Executive M.B.A. at UTSA.
Effective June 1, 2022, Jaclyn Shaw, Associate Vice President for Strategic Research Initiatives, will serve as interim vice president while a nationwide search for a new vice president is conducted. Jaclyn has worked closely with university leadership and faculty to advance research and scholarly impact since 2013, promoting a culture of excellence and providing critical support to researchers across the entire Knowledge Enterprise. She currently serves as UTSA’s liaison for external research and development partnerships and leads federal relations, proposal support services, faculty research development, and research marketing and communications.
The search for the next chief research officer will commence immediately with a goal of having a new individual in place in the next academic year. Information about the search process and timeline will be shared soon.
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
