Birx Accepts Chancellorship of Penn State Behrend

March 16, 2010

Donald Birx, University of Houston System vice chancellor for research and UH vice president for research, has been named chancellor of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The appointment is effective July 1.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for Don, who will step into a prestigious new position serving as the chief academic and administrative officer for this Penn State campus,’ said UH President Renu Khator.

“Don has grown the research enterprise significantly during his four-year tenure. Under his leadership, UH surpassed the $100 million milestone in research awards and obtained two awards totaling nearly $9 million from Texas’ Emerging Technology Fund,” Khator said. “We wish Don every success in this new endeavor. A committee to assist in the search for a new vice president for research will be announced soon.”

Before joining UH in 2006, Birx was interim vice provost/president for research and professor of physics at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M., while simultaneously serving as president and founder of PSI, a corporate entity at the institution for technology development and incubation. Prior to his tenure at New Mexico State, Birx spent 19 years at Systems Research Laboratories Inc., in Dayton, Ohio.

Staff reports