It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Greg Hirth, Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, as Interim Vice President for Research. As I mentioned in my Academic Priorities memo last week, strengthening support for research across all scholarly fields is a major focus area for Brown. 

As Interim Vice President, Greg will advance Brown’s mission and impact by supporting faculty and students in all aspects of their research activities – from the conception of new ideas through the dissemination of the knowledge they create. In this role, Greg will identify the highest research needs of faculty across the University and serve as an effective advocate for supporting them and collaborate with senior academic and administrative leaders on research initiatives and policy development. He will work closely with Deputy Vice President for Research Marty Scholtz and Associate Vice President for Research Stephanie Endy to lead research operations and spearhead major, multi-phase initiatives in the research space.

Greg brings tremendous strengths to this role. At Brown, Greg is known for his pioneering work in tectonophysics, a branch of geophysics that examines the movement of the Earth's crustal plates, the formation of mountains, earthquakes and other geological phenomena associated with the Earth's tectonic activity. His research focuses on rock deformation, microstructures in natural rocks, structural geology and modeling. Greg has led research teams that have helped explain what triggers earthquakes that occur deep beneath the Earth’s surface and integrative analyses of processes that control the formation and deformation of lithospheric plates. 

Earlier this year, Greg was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, two of the highest honors that a scholar can receive. He has been recognized with the George P. Woollard Award from the Geological Society of America, among other honors. In addition to his academic achievements, Greg has held leadership roles within the American Geophysical Union and served as chair of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences.

Greg earned his bachelor’s degree in geological sciences from Indiana University followed by master's and doctoral degrees in geological sciences from Brown.

I look forward to working with Greg and to collaborating with him and OVPR staff to support Brown’s ambitious research goals. 

Sincerely,

Francis J. Doyle II, Provost