Interim Leadership of the Office of the Vice President for Research

Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues:

Last month I announced that J. Michael McQuade will be stepping down from his role as Vice President for Research (VPR) at the end of June. As we prepare to launch the search for Michael’s successor, I am pleased to share that Daryl Weinert, CMU’s Vice President for Operations, has graciously agreed to serve as Interim VPR, taking over day-to-day oversight of the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and units that report to it.

Daryl’s breadth of expertise and decades of experience, particularly his previous position overseeing the University of Michigan’s research administration prior to coming to CMU in 2018, make him ideally suited to serve in this interim leadership role while we conduct a national search. I am grateful to Daryl for his willingness to serve in this capacity, and I am confident he will help to secure and build upon the exceptional foundation Michael has developed over the past three years. As Interim VPR, Daryl will maintain momentum in our research enterprise, manage the daily operations of OVPR units and participate in the oversight of our Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and the Center for Business Engagement.

Given the nature of its work, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), which has been reporting to the OVPR, will report to me during this interim period.

Michael, Daryl and I are collaborating to ensure a successful transition. As previously shared, Michael will continue to serve CMU as a senior advisor on some of our most important strategic initiatives, so we will still have the benefit of his expertise.

We will be announcing the search for the position of Vice President for Research in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Daryl for his willingness to take on this additional responsibility.

Sincerely,

Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman Chair
Carnegie Mellon University