Following a thorough national search, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Diana Burley will join American University as our first permanent vice provost for research. This is a critical role that shapes our interdisciplinary approach to producing impactful scholarship that leads global change. It is a key imperative of the Changemakers strategic plan to support our diverse community of faculty scholars and build on the work of our university-wide centers and institutes. Diana will join AU on July 15, 2020.

An award-winning global cybersecurity expert, Diana’s research takes a holistic perspective to cybersecurity, including the strategic development of the cybersecurity workforce, the relationship between technical and human factors, and methods for strengthening cybersecurity posture across a range of institutions. She will bring this broad perspective to advance AU’s research enterprise in collaboration with our extraordinary faculty, dedicated staff, and dynamic students.

Diana comes to us from George Washington University, where she serves as executive director and chair of the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection (I3P) and full professor of human and organizational learning. Prior to joining GW, Diana led the CyberCorps program and managed a multimillion-dollar computer science education and research portfolio for the National Science Foundation. She was named one of eight women to watch in IT security by SC Magazine in 2017 and cybersecurity educator of the year in 2014.

I want to thank Dr. Sarah Irvine Belson for her outstanding work as interim vice provost and her extensive contributions to both that role and our overall research endeavor. During her service the university set a record for externally funded research and advanced key strategic priorities that will enhance and benefit our research mission for years to come. I look forward to continuing to work with Sarah as she returns to her research and teaching in the School of Education.

Please join me in welcoming Diana to AU and thanking Sarah for her dedication to our community.