Douglas Delahanty, who held an interim senior leadership role when Kent State earned a Carnegie Classification rating of R1 for the first time in university history, will serve as the new vice president for research and sponsored programs starting Jan. 1, 2023. 

University President Todd Diacon announced the appointment in a press release Monday. Delahanty held the position in the interim beginning in May 2021. In February 2022, the university earned the R1 classification, which is the highest rating a university can receive for doctoral research.

“Doug’s breadth of experience and impressive accomplishments make him the right choice for this position,” Diacon said in the release. “As a key member of the senior leadership team, he will be responsible for expanding the university’s breakthrough research and creative endeavors.”

In the interim role, Delahanty led the university’s “strategic planning efforts to maintain this rating, increased our efficiency in identifying and tracking research resources and funded a postdoctoral scholar program to support faculty grant success.”

Delahanty came to Kent State in 1997 after receiving a doctorate in health psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and has served as president and chief executive officer of the Kent State University Research Corporation and director of the university’s Initiative for Clinical and Translational Research. 

Since 2019, Delahanty worked on the national level as curriculum coordinator for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Council on Research Leader Fellowship Program. 

“I am confident knowing that with Doug at the helm, great things will continue to happen within our Kent State research community,” Diacon said.

Isabella Schreck is sports editor. Contact her at [email protected].