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Â鶹ÊÓƵ is pleased to announce that after an extensive search, Jerry Lin has been selected as the Associate Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs.

“Dr. Lin has had a long and productive research-oriented career at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.  He understands the world of funded and competitive research and has long-standing relationships with area industry. He also shares the need for interdisciplinary research,” said James Marquart, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Dr. Lin will provide mentorship to our junior faculty as they seek research funding to enhance their careers.  I am delighted that Dr. Lin has accepted this position. He brings a wealth of experience to our research operation.”

Lin, an internal candidate for the position, has served Â鶹ÊÓƵ since 1999 as an assistant professor in the College of Engineering.  He is currently a tenured full professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, a licensed engineer, environmental scientist and prolific researcher. Since joining Â鶹ÊÓƵ, Lin has been PI or co-PI for ~$7M of external grants funded by federal and state agencies and by industries. Lin is also active in the international research community. He is author or co-author of more than 120 peer-reviewed articles published in the best journals of his area of expertise, which have been cited more than 3,300 times (H-index=29).  Lin has administrative expertise as well. As the Director of the Center for Advances in Water & Air Quality, he directs the internal seed grant operation, leads the effort in external grant activities and helps advance research capabilities in the areas of environmental engineering and life sciences. 

“I want to serve the community of Â鶹ÊÓƵ to create a fun and productive research culture driven by fundamental interest and extraordinary satisfaction in developing knowledge, solutions and scholarly work,” said Lin, who earned his Ph.D., in environmental engineering from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. “When the culture is built, externally funded programs will grow naturally, the research enterprise will expand sustainably, and our research reputation will improve continuously.”

Although this year, Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration has been awarded $7.7 million in sponsored research funding, state allocated research expenditures have increased 233%, and the program enjoys a proposal acceptance of 49%, Lin is excited about the opportunity to make the program even more successful for the benefit of students and faculty.

“I hope to create an administrative support system that allows Lamar’s PIs to do what they do best - explore the unknowns and develop solutions that address the needs and well-being of the global society,” said Lin. “The key ingredient of any successful research program is to stay curious and proactive, while enjoying the fruit and power of knowledge, scholarship and student success. I want to make this process easy for our faculty and students. We need to craft a clear research vision, build an administrative system that empowers Lamar PIs to exploit their research and scholarship without excessive burden of paperwork and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration internally and externally.”

Lin is known across campus for his dedication to students and his collaborative approach to research and teaching. During the last 20 years, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has awarded Lin a number of teaching and research honors including the 2002 Merit Award, 2008 University Scholar, 2012 University Professor and Ann Die-Hasselmo Faculty Scholar and 2014 Exxon-Mobil Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. He now says he'll capitalize on his efforts, relationships and successes to improve the ORSPA.

“This will take a joint effort on campus. I intend to reach out to colleagues across campus to build teams to strategically respond to the call of research opportunities and to deliver the outcomes of Lamar research,” said Lin. “Our new Science & Technology building is the perfect playground to make this happen.”