Office of Research Announces Organizational Updates and Key Appointments
The Office of Research is pleased to announce several changes to the organizational structure and personnel appointments in support of the research enterprise at UC Davis.
Sponsored Programs
Patrick Woods has been appointed director of the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO). Prior to joining UC Davis, Woods served as the managing project representative for the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects at the University of Michigan. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Hillsdale College.
We are also welcoming Joseph Johnson and Cynde Lowe who will join the SPO leadership team as assistant directors. With a fully staffed leadership team, SPO will continue to focus on process optimization.
The Office of Research is collaborating with our Contracts and Grants Accounting partners and Attain Consultants to continue our research administration transformation initiative. Our goal is to reduce PI and research administrator burden by optimizing people, processes and technology to ensure a robust framework for current operations and future innovations. The team is incorporating process gains to be utilized when converting to the latest version of CAYUSE and integrating the award set up data into Oracle. In addition, we seek to optimize the reports from Oracle and other internal systems to facilitate faculty and departmental administrators in managing their portfolios.
Technology Transfer
The unit supporting the protection and transfer of intellectual property, formerly known as InnovationAccess has been renamed as the UC Davis Technology Transfer Office (TTO). The unit provides services that connect research to the marketplace, focused specifically on protecting and commercializing intellectual property as well as fostering entrepreneurship within the campus community.
Steven Tudor has been appointed as the director of the Technology Transfer Office. Tudor joins UC Davis after leading technology transfer and research contracting activities at the University of North Texas for nearly a decade. He holds a Juris Doctorate with a focus in Intellectual Property from Texas A&M School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology–Biomedical Science from the University of Oklahoma.
Research and Industry Sponsored Agreements
The Office of Research has established a new unit to streamline and enhance the support of industry sponsored research. The unit, Research and Industry Sponsored Agreements, will be dedicated to supporting the research enterprise through industry sponsored research agreements, material and data transfers and confidentiality agreements. They will serve as the point of contact and liaison for industry partners and work in close collaboration with the Sponsored Programs Office and Technology Transfer Office.
Eugene Sisman has been appointed the director of Research and Industry Sponsored Agreements, transitioning from his previous role as interim director of the Technology Transfer Office. Sisman has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UC San Diego and a Juris Doctorate from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, specializing in intellectual property.
Operations (Business and Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology)
The newly formed Operations unit is responsible for the core business functions of the Office of Research, including Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology Systems and Services. This unit plays a critical role in both short- and long-term planning, ensuring that the Office of Research has the infrastructure, resources, and support needed to advance research administration and central services.
Beatriz Ibanez-Alvarez has been appointed the executive director of Operations in the Office of Research. She joins UC Davis with more than twenty years of experience in higher education, most recently, as an associate Dean for Finance, Administration, and Strategic Initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. Ibanez-Alvarez completed her bachelor’s degree in business and economics at the Universidad de Concepcion in Chile. She also completed an M.B.A. in finance and international business at Wright State University and an M.S. in accounting at the University of Cincinnati.
Grand Challenges
On September 30, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan announced the retirement of Distinguished Professor and Vice Provost Jonna Mazet who led Grand Challenges since its launch in 2021. With the change, effective the end of 2025, Grand Challenges will move to the Office of Research and will be led by Associate Vice Chancellor Paul Dodd. Dodd will report to Vice Chancellor for Research Simon Atkinson and retain a dotted line to the Office of the Provost.
