As President Carter shared in last week’s State of the University address, the vision outlined in the Education for Citizenship 2035 strategic plan includes a bold agenda for life-changing and life-saving research. Through transformative impact in research, innovation and knowledge, we can advance our society, serve the communities of which we are part and drive economic prosperity and vitality.
To achieve these goals, including a commitment to grow our research enterprise to $2 billion by 2035, we must have a cohesive and coordinated enterprise that cuts across the entirety of the university. Since the departure of our colleague Dr. Peter Mohler to lead the University of Alabama, we have had the opportunity to consider how to align our strengths to best support the research landscape across our academic footprint and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. In that spirit, we are excited to share some updates with you.
John Horack to serve as vice president for research
Beginning Oct. 1, John M. Horack will serve as vice president for research, pending approval by the Board of Trustees. In this role, he will lead the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge and report directly to the executive vice president and provost.
A professor in the College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Dr. Horack is a 30-year veteran of the spaceflight industry. He spent nearly two decades at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, performing pioneering theoretical and experimental research in high-energy astrophysics, cosmology and gamma-ray bursts. He held several roles at NASA, culminating as manager of the Science and Mission Systems Office, where he oversaw advanced, complex science and exploration research as a member of the U.S. senior executive service.
After his work with NASA, he served as vice president for research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, moving the university from an R2 to an R1 Carnegie Classification for research activity during his tenure. Subsequently, Dr. Horack served as vice president of space systems at Teledyne Brown Engineering. He joined Ohio State’s faculty in 2016 and holds the inaugural Neil A. Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy.
He has been advancing Ohio State's leadership in spaceflight research and innovation, playing a key role in the university's partnership with Voyager Technologies. This partnership has resulted in the development of the Voyager Institute for Space, Technology and Advancement (VISTA) science park, to be located on the Aerospace and Air Transportation Campus at The Ohio State University Airport. He also leads the university’s efforts to build Starlab, one of the next-generation space stations supported by VISTA.
He is a preeminent scholar, collaborator and visionary leader who shares our aspirations for research excellence at Ohio State. In his role he will build and strengthen strategic partnerships with industry, government and federal research institutes, foster a vibrant ecosystem for commercialization and ensure a collaborative culture across Ohio State’s research community.
National search to begin for chief scientific officer of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
A priority of the Wexner Medical Center’s Impact 2035 strategic plan, part of Education for Citizenship 2035, is to advance high-impact discovery through lifesaving and life-enhancing medical research and clinical trials.
In alignment with this strategy, we will also launch a national search for a chief scientific officer for the Wexner Medical Center. This position will oversee research and innovation strategy for the Wexner Medical Center in addition to providing executive-level leadership for biomedical research across the university. To ensure strong cohesion in our shared research and innovation enterprise, the chief scientific officer will jointly report to the CEO of the Wexner Medical Center and to the vice president for research. We look forward to sharing more details around this search in the near future.
Through this strong alignment across the university, we will ensure Ohio State is best positioned to serve the state of Ohio and beyond through our research excellence.
Sincerely,
Ravi V. Bellamkonda, PhD
Executive Vice President and Provost
John J. Warner, MD
CEO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Executive Vice President at Ohio State