Patricia Jones Named to New Role in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation
Experienced Campus Research Leader to Join OVCRI in the New Year
November 11, 2022
Patricia Jones has been named Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation in Compliance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pending Board of Trustees approval. In this role, she will oversee a number of campus-wide research support and compliance offices, leading programs and activities that support the safe, ethical, and productive conduct of research at Illinois. She starts full-time in this new role on January 3.
Dr. Jones is an experienced research leader and administrator. For more than ten years, she has served as Associate Director for Research at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. In that role, she worked closely with the Beckman Director and research faculty and staff from across the Institute to advance research and promote a culture of innovation and inclusion. She oversaw Beckman core research facilities, served as project manager for key initiatives, and developed new initiatives, including two widely successful seminars: the “Responsible Conduct of Research” series and the “Curious and Eclectic” series. She has also served as Interim Director of the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects. She has received a number of campuswide and national awards for her research, teaching, and service to the University.
“I am delighted that Patty will be joining our team in the OVCRI,” said Melanie Loots, Senior Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. “Patty’s unique combination of faculty and administrative experience in interdisciplinary research on our campus combined with her background in management at NASA Ames have truly prepared her to lead numerous efforts in support of Illinois research and scholarship.”
Before joining Beckman, Patty spent several years at NASA’s Ames Research Center, including service as Deputy Director of the Exploration Technology Directorate and Chief of the Human Systems Integration Division. She was also on the faculty at UIUC from 1991-2001. She has a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.