September 3, 2025
President Scholz sent the following message to faculty, staff, and graduate employees on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.
Dear colleagues,
I write to share that Dr. Anshuman Razdan (“AR”), Vice President for Research and Innovation (VPRI), will be departing the University of Oregon to take on a new role as Chief Research Officer, Planning and Partnerships at the University of Utah. His final day in the office will be in mid-November.
AR came to the UO in 2022 from the University of Delaware. Shortly after arriving at the UO, AR was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors, in recognition of his contributions to the field of computer science.
Since joining the UO, AR has made valuable contributions to UO’s research and innovation. Under his leadership, he has overseen several multidisciplinary research centers and institutes, strategic research initiatives and partnerships, and innovation and commercialization efforts. He also fueled new growth in innovation and entrepreneurship, most notably as a passionate co-founder with Paul Weinhold and inaugural co-chair of Launch Oregon, a joint initiative between the university and the UO Foundation aimed at connecting innovators to capital, talent, leadership, and infrastructure.
AR also strengthened the university’s research enterprise by creating the Strategic Investment Fund, providing critical resources to faculty pursuing major center-level grant submissions, and by supporting the launch of the NIH Academy, now entering its second cohort. His efforts to elevate UO’s national research profile included hosting the NSF Director on campus for the first time, a milestone in expanding our federal research relationships.
In recent months, AR and his team have also adeptly navigated the impacts of unprecedented federal actions affecting both active and prospective grants, while providing timely and supportive information to the UO research community.
His work and new ideas will leave a lasting impact on our community. We are grateful for his service and wish him continued success in his new role.
We are also committed to supporting an effective and thoughtful leadership change. In the coming weeks, I will announce an interim vice president for research. I welcome input from the UO research community via this online form.
Sincerely,
Karl Scholz
President