Candidate for vice chancellor for research to present April 25
April 24 editor's note: This candidate has withdrawn for personal reasons, and the presentation has been canceled. See the candidate search page for updates about candidates and presentation dates.
LAWRENCE — Kevin Gardner will be the third candidate for the vice chancellor for research position to share his vision and strategies for the future of research and discovery at the University of Kansas.
His public presentation will take place 3-4 p.m. April 25 at the Lied Center Pavilion. The event will also be livestreamed, and the passcode is 475861.
Gardner is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Louisville and most recently served as the university’s executive vice president for research and innovation for four years.
The next candidate will be announced approximately two business days before their campus visit. Their public presentation is scheduled for the following date and location:
- 2:30-3:30 p.m. May 1, 1502 Building Auditorium
Members of the KU community are encouraged to attend the presentations and provide feedback to the search committee. Presentation recordings and the online feedback form will remain available on the search page through May 7.
Additional search information, including Gardner’s CV, is also available on the search page.
During his term as executive vice president for research and innovation, Gardner managed Louisville’s research enterprise, including industry engagement, research development and administration, and technology commercialization. He oversaw growth in the university’s research activities, which reached $230 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2022.
Gardner has served in a number of leadership roles, including vice provost for research and director of strategic initiatives at the University of New Hampshire. He served for a decade on the executive committee of UNH’s interdisciplinary Natural Resources and Earth Systems Science doctoral program and also previously taught at Case Western Reserve University and Hofstra University.
Gardner’s research has focused on environmental science and engineering, contaminant behavior in the aquatic environment, contaminant release in post-industrial byproducts and wastes, and interdisciplinary sustainability science and engineering.
He has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator on over $60 million in awards, produced more than 100 publications and mentored more than 40 graduate students and numerous faculty members, undergraduates, teachers and high school students.
Gardner earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Clarkson University and his bachelor’s in civil engineering from Union College.