Dr. James A. Weyhenmeyer Named Senior Vice President for the SUNY Research Foundation

Albany - The Research Foundation and State University of New York today announced that James A. Weyhenmeyer, Ph.D., will become senior vice president (RF) and senior vice provost for research (SUNY) effective March 3, 2008.  In this newly created position spanning the RF and SUNY, Dr. Weyhenmeyer will provide vision, energy and leadership for research and innovation at the State University of New York.  Promoting synergistic research opportunities among SUNY campuses, Dr. Weyhenmeyer will also coordinate SUNY’s Empire Innovation Program to recruit research faculty; lead the research, development and technology programs of the Research Foundation; and serve as primary liaison to the university centers and medical campuses.

“The timing is perfect for SUNY and New York State,” said John B. Clark, interim chancellor. “Dr. Weyhenmeyer brings vast experience as an international leader in research, technological innovation and economic development that will serve well the university’s long-term commitment to science.”

Dr. Weyhenmeyer most recently served as the interim vice president for technology and economic development at the University of Illinois. He is an experienced senior administrator who has held executive administrative appointments at the University of Illinois, including associate vice president for academic affairs and associate vice president for economic development and corporate relations.

In December 2007, Dr. Weyhenmeyer was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. This prestigious independent institution promotes innovation and economic development internationally. Among its select group of 1,000 members are renowned scientists, engineers and economists from major U.S. research universities as well as international universities and companies.

As executive director of IllinoisVENTURES, LLC, Dr. Weyhenmeyer led an organization that focuses on the early-stage development of technology-based companies deriving from regional research institutions and universities. He serves as a member of the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory and the Board of Directors of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He also serves on scientific advisory boards for companies in the gene technology and drug development sectors and as a scientific and business consultant for early-stage due diligence. Dr. Weyhenmeyer has served as chief scientific officer for a medical device company and chief operating officer for a drug delivery company.

Dr. Weyhenmeyer is a professor of cell biology, pathology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois with faculty appointments on the Urbana/Champaign campus.  He is also an affiliate member of the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois.  He received his B.A. from Knox College and his Ph.D. from Indiana University.  Before joining the faculty at Illinois in 1979, he received postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa.

As a cell biologist/neuroscientist, Dr. Weyhenmeyer has researched and published extensively on degenerative brain disorders.  He has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, and the PHARMA Foundation.  He serves on a number of national scientific committees and boards and recently finished terms as the president of the American Heart Association-Midwest and chair of the American Heart Association’s National Research Committee. 

Dr. Weyhenmeyer is married to Jan, who currently works in the dental field.  They will be relocating to the Albany area in the coming months.  Jan and Jim have two sons, one of whom is an architect in the San Francisco area and the other is a sophomore in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois.

About the Research Foundation

The RF helps SUNY acquire and manage external funds to advance research and transfer technology from campuses to the marketplace. In FY 2007, the RF administered over $781 million in sponsored funding in support of more than 7,900 research and training programs at 29 state-operated SUNY campuses. The RF also managed 284 new invention disclosures, filed 196 patent applications and executed 45 licensing and option agreements. To learn more about the Research Foundation, visit www.rfsuny.org.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 427,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

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