Engineering professor to join KU Research leadership team

LAWRENCE – A University of Kansas School of Engineering faculty member with a track record of helping colleagues build successful research programs is joining the Office of Research as associate vice chancellor.

Candan Tamerler, Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, will begin her duties July 10.

As a member of the senior leadership team, Tamerler will help oversee a number of areas that support the KU research mission, including research centers, core labs, strategic planning, research development, research administration, research compliance and related topics. Tamerler has served as associate dean for research in the engineering school since 2019.

“Candan is an active, accomplished faculty researcher with diverse experiences and sources of external funding. As someone who has earned support from federal agencies and industry partners, helped start companies and holds several patents, she brings a uniquely valuable perspective to helping grow and shape the KU research enterprise,” said Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for research. “In her role as associate dean for research in engineering, she developed data-informed approaches to understanding and expanding the school’s research success. I look forward to working with her to support scholars across campus.”

Tamerler’s research focuses on engineering biomolecular systems for design, synthesis and biofabrication of functional materials and developing biobased approaches for health care and sustainable technology solutions. In the Office of Research, she will serve alongside two other associate vice chancellors as the institutional official for academic misconduct and will support five of KU’s designated research centers: the Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum, the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, the Institute for Bioengineering Research, the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research and the Kansas Geological Survey.

Tamerler fills an Office of Research vacancy created by the departure of Belinda Sturm, professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering, who stepped away from her associate vice chancellor role after three years of service to the KU research community to focus on directing the Kansas NSF EPSCoR and advancing her own research.

KU research addresses problems of worldwide significance, delivers solutions that make a difference to Kansas and the region, and promotes an inclusive community of responsible inquiry and innovation for students and scholars. The Office of Research facilitates that mission by advocating for research, scholarship and creative activity, implementing research integrity requirements and, through the KU Center for Research (KUCR), managing the administration of research grants and contracts. KU Research also has oversight of activities related to technology commercialization and business and industry outreach.