BLOOMINGTON – After nearly eight years of influential and impactful leadership over Indiana University’s research initiatives, Vice President for Research Fred Cate will step down from his executive role effective June 30, 2023. Cate, who is also a Distinguished Professor and the C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law, will return to faculty at the Maurer School of Law in the fall 2024 semester.
As vice president for research, Cate is responsible for research development, administration, and compliance for the university’s expansive research enterprise, with additional oversight for IU’s innovation and commercialization, foundation relations, and business partnerships efforts.
“As one of the nation’s premier research universities, IU has world-class researchers who drive innovation, and Fred’s advancement and support of their work have been instrumental,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “I am grateful that Fred will continue to be a part of our university in his faculty role and have sincerely valued his leadership and counsel in his vice president role and as a member of my Cabinet. IU faculty have realized great success in recent years in competing for sponsored awards. Much of this success and advancement is because of Fred’s leadership.”
IU’s research portfolio grew significantly under Cate’s leadership, with more than $732 million in sponsored funding for research, instruction, and service in the 2022 fiscal year. He additionally led the Grand Challenges, an ambitious $300 million research initiative launched in 2015, directing funds to precision health, environmental matters, and addiction research.
Cate is the founding director of IU’s Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, which he led from 2003 to 2014, and where he is now a senior fellow. Often asked to provide expert testimony on information security to congressional committees, federal agencies, and state legislatures, he is an elected member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute.
“I am privileged to have had this opportunity to work with a superb team in the Research Office and dedicated researchers throughout IU to advance discovery and creativity for the people of Indiana and beyond,” Cate said. “I am deeply grateful to President Whitten for her unfailing support for research and her bold leadership in helping prepare IU for the decades ahead. I look forward eagerly to continuing to work with her in the months ahead.”
Cate has chaired commissions for organizations such as the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and the United Nations, and served on many governments, businesses, and not-for-profit advisory boards.
Before transitioning away from his administrative position, Cate will complete his leadership role in IU 2030, the university’s strategic planning framework, as well as other key initiatives to continue to advance IU research and researchers.
The search for a new vice president of research will begin immediately with details on the search and search committee available in the coming weeks.
Information: News at IU
