New V.P. for Rrsearch named

Ralph Amado to takeRalph Amado to takehelm of $350 millionRalph Amado to takehelm of $350 millionresearch enterprise Ralph Amado, a physics professor at the University, has been named Vice Provost for Research. He has served as acting Vice Provost for Research since September of 1995. As the new V.P. for Research, Amado will have policy and administrative oversight for the University's $350 million research enterprise. He will also serve as the University's spokesperson on research related matters and have responsibility for the development and implementation of policies and procedures which promote research excellence. Amado said he is very pleased and thrilled to be selected for the position. "It's very reassuring to be chosen after doing the job for a year because that means people like and trust [my] work," he said. According to Provost Stanley Chodorow, Amado's "superb job as acting Vice Provost" made him a prime candidate for the position. "He brings long experience at Penn, a broad understanding of the scientific enterprise, energy and, most important, wisdom to the provost's office," he said in a statement released to the press on Monday. Amado said he will focus on building interdisciplinary partnerships among various University departments. He will also work toward developing additional resources for early-stage research projects. Amado said it is important to realize how big the University's research enterprise is. "The research totals about $350 million -- the undergraduate tuition enterprise totals about the same," he explained. Chodorow said he is looking forward to working with Amado to enhance Penn's interschool research programs and to "put Penn in a leadership position as the federal government and the country's research universities reconsider national science policy." Amado replaces Barry Cooperman who stepped down in August of 1995 to have the opportunity to conduct more extensive research. Cooperman, still a professor of chemistry and deeply involved in University research programs, held the position of V.P. of Research for 13 years. Amado, a Stanford undergraduate, attended Oxford University for his PhD, coming to Penn in 1957. During his time at the University, Amado held numerous positions, including chair of the physics department from 1983 to 1987. He also has a long history with national scientific boards and committees. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a former director of the Natural Science Association. Amado, who has a grant from the National Institutes of Health as a single investigator, said he will continue his own research while filling the V.P. of Research position.

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