John Williamson, Ph.D., Selected as Director of Research and Sponsored Programs

Community Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that an experienced academician with a background in academic research funding has been hired as CSU-Pueblo’s Director of Research and Sponsored Programs. Dr. John Williamson, Research Grant Strategist and Consultant, Academic Research Funding Strategies, LLC College Station, TX, will provide oversight for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) beginning May 1. ORSP is the newly-reestablished office supported through the indirect cost of external funding.

As Director of Research and Sponsored Programs, Dr. Williamson will report to the Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and develop and administer the policies and procedures of ORSP. He will be responsible for providing technical support on the planning, preparation, and submission of external proposals; act as a proposal facilitator and serve as a liaison with academic departments, divisions and other university offices and sponsoring agencies.

Given Dr. Williamson’s extensive background in research and research funding in higher education and public service, he brings a comprehensive set of skills that will serve the ORSP and CSU-Pueblo exceedingly well. Dr. Williamson is eager to work with faculty and staff to facilitate proposal writing and research support.  Dr. Williamson can be reached through his email: John.Williamson@csupueblo.edu starting May 1.

Prior to serving as a Research Grant Strategist and Consultant, Dr. Williamson’s past positions include Research Initiatives Coordinator for the University of Dayton and University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, OH; Branch Chief of Basic and Mechanistic Research, National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD; and Professor of Medicinal Chemistry & Research Professor of the National Center for the Development of Natural Products & Research Professor of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi.

Dr. Williams is a self-professed born and raised Mississippian. His wife Christy, will be retiring from the University of Mississippi (where she was former Dean of the Graduate School, Professor of Pharmaceutics, and Research Professor of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences) to join him in Pueblo.  His primary hobby is his work, then traveling accompanied by motorcycling.  Last summer he made a 7,000-mile non-interstate solo trip and finished visiting all of the lower 48 states with the addition of Washington and Oregon.  He and his wife have three grown daughters.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Williamson to our university.

Best wishes,

Mohamed Abdelrahman