麻豆精品

UCF’s Office of Research has appointed Marc Mendonca as associate vice president for research and scholarship.

In this role, Mendonca will oversee UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 internal research initiatives and funding programs, as well as the Office of Research 麻豆精品 S檚 centers and institutes. He 麻豆精品 S檒l also work to ensure optimal efficiency of core research facilities 麻豆精品 S� including the clean room and the materials characterization facility 麻豆精品 S� and support key departments like the Institutional Review Board and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

麻豆精品 S淢endonca 麻豆精品 S檚 distinguished expertise in research leadership and strategic planning aligns well with our university 麻豆精品 S檚 mission, 麻豆精品 S� says Winston Schoenfeld, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 vice president for research and innovation. 麻豆精品 S淗is proven ability to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and cultivate a thriving research environment positions him to significantly advance our academic enterprise. I am confident that his leadership will elevate our support of UCF researchers, driving impactful discoveries and academic excellence. 麻豆精品 S�

Before joining UCF, Mendonca served as the director of research development at Indiana University (IU). He has also held multiple research administrative roles, including associate vice chancellor and interim vice chancellor for research at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis , and associate vice president for research at IU. As part of IU 麻豆精品 S檚 Office of Research leadership team, he helped support more than $750 million in annual external funding.

In addition, he served as director of the radiation and cancer biology division at IU 麻豆精品 S檚 School of Medicine and participated in several strategic research task forces that helped increase external grant funding .

麻豆精品 S淪uccessful research and innovation is not a 麻豆精品 S榯op-down 麻豆精品 S� or abstract exercise. It must be rooted in the real strengths of our faculty, staff and students 麻豆精品 S� shaped by those closest to the work and supported through thoughtful investment in people… 麻豆精品 S� Mendonca says.

Mendonca credits that experience 麻豆精品 S� along with other administrative roles 麻豆精品 S� for shaping his approach to research leadership, emphasizing the importance of aligning strategy with institutional strengths by engaging with all stakeholders.

麻豆精品 S淪uccessful research and innovation planning is not a 麻豆精品 S榯op-down 麻豆精品 S� or abstract exercise, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淚t must be rooted in the real strengths of our faculty, staff and students 麻豆精品 S� shaped by those closest to the work and supported through thoughtful investment in people, whether through training, collaboration or strategic recruitment. 麻豆精品 S�

As a professor of radiation oncology and medical and molecular genetics, Mendonca is an internationally known researcher with an extensive scholarship in X-ray and proton radiation biology, particularly as it relates to clinical applications of radiation therapy. Over the course of his 31-year career, he has secured more than $27 million in grant funding with his collaborators from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense.

His research focuses on better understanding the challenges and benefits of radiation in clinical settings, the environment, and for astronauts exposed to solar and cosmic radiation.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e always believed that research and creative activity not only enrich our lives but drive progress, 麻豆精品 S� Mendonca says. 麻豆精品 S淢y interest in radiation biophysics developed very early in my career while training in a lab at Mass General Hospital in Boston and then working in a radiation oncology lab in Koln, Germany, before graduate school. It was during that time that my deep commitment to research and discovery really grew, and it 麻豆精品 S檚 what drives me to this day. 麻豆精品 S�

Since 2011 Mendonca has served as editor-in-chief of the journal Radiation Research, where he established significant research collaborations in Canada, China, India, the European Union聽and the United Kingdom. In 2022 he was named a fellow of the Radiation Research Society. He is also a member of many other professional organizations, including the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Board of Radiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

麻豆精品 S淚 have been fortunate to have had many excellent mentors and administrators throughout my career who have taught me the essential soft skills you need to be a successful academic, researcher and administrator, 麻豆精品 S� Mendonca says. 麻豆精品 S淪oft skills help build partnerships across disciplines, which can make local discoveries become potentially globally recognized contributions. 麻豆精品 S�

Mendonca earned a doctoral degree in biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in biology from the College of the Holy Cross. As a student at Holy Cross, he worked at a local hospital, where he became interested in the multifaceted nature of healthcare delivery and research 麻豆精品 S� a passion that now drives him to support his mentees across a variety of healthcare disciplines.

“With my background in radiation and cancer biology, biophysics and clinical translation, I 麻豆精品 S檝e learned how crucial building the right environment can be to grow interdisciplinary research, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭he importance of research and creative activity in education cannot be overstated; students flourish when their curiosity is supported. Creating space for questions, exploration, and discovery is essential for new ideas as our students evolve into their successful careers in the private sector, academics, medicine, and other industries.”

Mendonca begins his role at UCF in July and plans to start with a guiding principle: 麻豆精品 S淥nce we understand the needs of our student, faculty, and staff researchers, we should embrace and support their ambition. By helping every eligible faculty member secure at least one grant, we can meaningfully increase research funding and ignite innovation and creativity across all disciplines, 麻豆精品 S� he says.