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By Dateline staff

Paul Dodd, former director of Industry Collaborative Programs at Science Foundation Ireland, has been appointed associate vice chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Research.

Dodd

Dodd, a native of Ireland with degrees from Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast, has a background in nanoscale material science and applied physics, and has worked at the interface of industry, academia and government for more than 20 years in Europe and the United States.

At UC Davis, where he started work May 1, Dodd is responsible for development of interdisciplinary research activities for the Davis campus, and for initiating, supporting and coordinating the development of new strategic research partnerships, domestic and international.

He oversees Interdisciplinary Research Support, the campus unit that coordinates the development and preparation of interdisciplinary research activities, and serves as a key partner with faculty in the pursuit of major collaborative research initiatives.

In addition, he administers the campus’s 10 organized research units, six special research programs, and five research instruments and central facilities. Under his direction, the Office of Research will further its strategic efforts to leverage and expand UC Davis research programs through partnerships with the federal and state governments, and private entities.

He also is tasked with overseeing campus seed funding programs for interdisciplinary research, including Research Investments in the Sciences and Engineering, or RISE, and assisting with the subsequent development of funded teams.

Leadership team now complete

This appointment completes the leadership team for the restructured Office of Research and will allow us to boldly move forward on all fronts in support of our university research community,” said Harris Lewin, vice chancellor for research.

“I am delighted to welcome someone with Paul’s broad experience and strong vision for building relationships between the faculty and our globally-distributed research partners. With his skilled leadership we can look forward to our campus gaining increased research prominence.”

Dodd worked at Science Foundation Ireland from 2005 to 2008 as scientific program manager and head of industry-research development. He returned in 2011 as director of Industry Collaborative Programs, with responsibility for establishing, developing and overseeing large-scale collaborative research centers and clusters across a broad range of research topics in information and communication technologies, life sciences and renewable energy.

He made a significant contribution to the development of new research funding programs at the national level, and managed a portfolio of research awards linking academia and industry. He oversaw awards to 29 major multicampus research centers and clusters involving partnerships with more than 300 multinational and indigenous technology companies, and collaborative research programs spanning all seven Irish universities and several institutes of technology. All of these projects involved more than 1,500 research scientists.

In 2009-10, Dodd worked in Silicon Valley with the Irish government’s Industrial Development Agency, IDA Ireland. In this role, he developed research links between academic research groups and centers in Ireland, and U.S. companies, encouraging them to invest in Ireland. He developed relationships with senior research executives at more than 100 major corporate research and development labs across the United States.

“I’m excited to be joining UC Davis with its extraordinary breadth and depth of research activities,” Dodd said. “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to help UC Davis’ outstanding faculty and staff to further develop interdisciplinary research already here on campus, and to help stimulate the establishment of exciting new interdisciplinary initiatives.

“I look forward to leading a team of skilled strategists to expand the impact that UC Davis research has on national and international issues through new policies, new technologies and a deepened understanding of our world.”

Prior to joining Science Foundation Ireland, Dodd worked in the data storage industry with Seagate Technology. Before that he held research positions at Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin.

Dodd holds bachelor (1991) and master’s degrees (1993) from Trinity College Dublin and a doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast (1999) for research on nanoscale magnetic materials and devices with applications in magnetic recording head technologies.