RESEARCH - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Critical Research Infrastructure and Information Technology Analyst
• Resources Information Technology Analyst

Adam is the Critical Research Infrastructure and Information Technology Analyst. He provides support for hardware, software, networking, and specialized critical research systems management for the Office of the Dean of Research. Adam has more than a decade of experience in IT Operations, Systems Administration, and Cloud Technologies. Prior to joining Princeton University, Adam served as an IT Support Engineer for Hopewell Valley School District and as a Cloud Technical Expert for Microsoft.

Job Titles:

• Assistant
• Events and Office Administrator, Princeton Institute for Computational Science and Engineering

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate Director for Finance and Administration

Annette manages the operational and administrative functions of the Office of the Dean for Research, including overseeing the endowed research funds, departmental budgets and HR processes. She also serves as secretary of the University Research Board (URB) and manages the PI request process for the University. Prior to joining Princeton in 2007, Annette was Operations and Finance Manager at The Nature Conservancy, and spent several years in the hedge fund industry in San Francisco. Annette holds a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's degree in history.

Job Titles:

• Systems Analyst
• Systems Analyst in the Office of the Dean

Arhum Siddiqi is a Systems Analyst in the Office of the Dean for Research. In this role, he provides technical support for the eRIA system. Before joining us at Princeton, he earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from Rutgers University and gained extensive professional experience spanning consumer electronics design, hardware and software engineering in the retail, government contracting, and automotive industries. He contributes to our collaborative environment, working with ODFR technologies, and supporting others in their professional roles.

Job Titles:

• Director of the Office
• Director of the Office of the Vice President for PPPL / Princeton University

Brandon Thorne is the director of the Office of the Vice President for PPPL at Princeton University. His most recent position was the director of business development for Merrick & Company in the nuclear services and technology business unit. In that role, he was responsible for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Supply Chain Management Center's agreements portfolio and the subject matter expert for all DOE national laboratories. Before this position, he served as the chief operating officer of the Physics Department and Superconducting Magnet Division and deputy directorate chief operating officer of the Nuclear and Particle Physics Directorate at Brookhaven National Laboratory. There, he led the operations, execution, strategy and planning to include the oversight at the European Council for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, in Switzerland and RIKEN in Japan. He is an executive certificate holder in public leadership and public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also is a senior executive fellow and senior executive in national and international security at the Kennedy School. He has a strong executive business background completing top programs at Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University. He is certified in diversity and inclusion, a certified project director and a change management adviser. He earned his doctoral degree from the the Nelson Mandela College of Government & Social Sciences at Southern University and A&M College, a historically Black college and university (HBCU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Brandon L Thorne Director of the Office of the Vice President for PPPL Princeton University Email blthorne@princeton.edu

Job Titles:

• Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement Research Development Office
• Member of Princeton University 's Office of the Dean for Research Leadership Team

Coleen is a member of Princeton University's Office of the Dean for Research leadership team. She is committed to creating a culture of innovation, bold initiative, and open communication.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Vice Dean for Innovation

As vice dean for innovation, Craig B. Arnold leads the Princeton University Office of Innovation and oversees the University's efforts to grow Princeton's culture of innovation across disciplines. The role aims to strengthen the University's capacity to engage with entrepreneurs, alumni, industry, technology investors and other potential partners. The vice dean for innovation works closely with offices across campus and within the Office of the Dean for Research, including the Office of Technology Licensing, Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations, and the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council. Arnold is Princeton's Susan Dod Brown Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He has served since 2015 as the director of the Princeton Institute of Materials. He leads a vibrant research program that ranges from basic science to applied technology aimed at developing a deeper understanding of materials synthesis and processing in areas including advanced manufacturing, energy storage and conversion, and optics and photonics. In 2017, Arnold received an Edison Patent Award from the Research & Development Council of New Jersey for the creation of an adjustable lens that focuses light in response to sound waves. The tunable acoustic gradient (TAG) lens is now used in many industrial and research applications including robotics, machine vision, industrial metrology and ultra-high precision microscopy. Arnold holds 13 granted patents, and is the co-founder of two companies based on research conducted at Princeton. TAG Optics Inc. developed the TAG lens and was later acquired by a major precision instrument manufacturer. Invictis Technologies is working to create a safer and less painful automated intravenous injection device. Arnold is a preeminent researcher in the field of materials science; he and co-authors have published over 200 scientific papers and book chapters. He serves as a member of the National Research Council's National Materials and Manufacturing Board and is a fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) and the Optical Society of America. Arnold was named a Knight of Laser Technology (2018) by the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP)-Photonic Technologies. He has received a number of prominent industry awards for his technology including R&D World magazine's R&D 100 award, the SPIE Prism Award for Photonics Innovation, and Vision Systems Design magazine's Innovators Award. Arnold has received prestigious federal awards and grants, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award. Recognized widely for his mentorship and teaching, Arnold has advised many undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. He has received the Princeton Undergraduate Engineering Council Teaching Award (2009, 2017 and 2022) and the School of Engineering and Applied Science Excellence in Teaching Award (2019 and 2021). Arnold is a member of the executive committee for Princeton's Entrepreneurship Certificate Program and the executive committee of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Arnold holds a Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics from Harvard University and a B.S. from Haverford College. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory prior to joining the Princeton faculty in 2003.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate Dean, Research Computing

Job Titles:

• Executive Director of the Office
• Executive Director, Office of Research and Project Administration

Elizabeth H. Adams is the executive director of the Office of Research and Project Administration at Princeton University. Previously, she was an Associate with the UIDP (University Industry Demonstration Partnership), consulting on range of research-related topics including public-private partnerships, the management of federal funding, operations management and compliance. Her nearly 20 years of experience in sponsored programs management (spanning preaward, contracts, postaward and information functions) across four major research universities (University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Virginia and Princeton University) provides her a wide frame of reference for managing and advising on university-based and cross-sector research. Elizabeth has worked at the center, department, school and central university administration levels.

Job Titles:

• Associate Dean

Jack Brassil received the B.S. degree from the Polytechnic Institute of New York, the M.Eng. degree from Cornell University, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of California, San Diego, all in electrical engineering. Dr. Brassil currently holds two appointments at Princeton University. He serves as an Associate Dean for Research, and as a Senior Research Scholar in the Department of Computer Science. From 2015 to 2018 he served as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, VA. Previously he was a Distinguished Technologist at HP Laboratories. At HP he managed a research team investigating mobile computing systems, and communication networks and protocols, with frequent collaboration with startups, universities and industrial research partners. Before joining HP he held multiple research positions at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill and Holmdel, NJ. Dr. Brassil is an IEEE Fellow, and a member of the ACM.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Director
• Assistant Director for Finance & Administration
• Executive Support

Jessica Pilotti is the Assistant Director for Finance and Administration. She joined the Office of the Dean for Research from her previous role handling all business matters for Strategic Partnerships and Engagement. Jessica previously worked at Mercer County Technical Schools and attended Mercer County Community College.

Job Titles:

• Application Delivery Specialist

Job Titles:

• Administration Systems and Information Technology
• Executive Director, Office of Technology Licensing

As executive director of the Office of Technology Licensing, John oversees the protection and licensing of software and inventions created at Princeton University. His responsibilities include triaging invention disclosures, negotiating confidentiality, liaising with patent attorneys, and overseeing the distribution of income generated by intellectual property in accordance with the University patent policy as well as government compliance relating to patents and software. Additionally, John serves as secretary of the Review Panel on Conflict of Interest in Research. John has served as a technology licensing professional at the University for 15 years. Prior to coming to Princeton, he worked as a senior licensing professional at Rutgers University and held various sales and marketing positions in industry. He holds a B.S. in engineering from Rutgers University, an M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a J.D. with Honors from Rutgers School of Law. A registered patent attorney, he is licensed to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Job Titles:

• Office and Project Manager

Julia is the inaugural Office and Project Manager for the Office of the Dean for Research. She will be responsible for overseeing a diverse portfolio of office and project management responsibilities, along with event management for the central office. Julia held two prior administrative positions at Princeton University, working four years in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty as Administrator for the Princeton Public Lectures Series and as Assistant to the Clerk of the Faculty; and three years as Administrator in the Department of Near Eastern Studies. Julia received Princeton Tiger Awards in 2018 and 2022, and a Spot Award in 2024 for exceptional achievement and contribution to the University's mission. Prior to joining Princeton University, Julia had a career in the corporate world, managing the creative services team for WIlliams-Sonoma's Pottery Barn catalog. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota.

Job Titles:

• Dean
• Senior Associate
• Finance, Operations, Administration, Information Technology, University Research Board

Job Titles:

• Senior ERA Manager

Job Titles:

• Executive Director, Laboratory Animal Resources

Laura, the Executive Director of Laboratory Animal Resources and Attending Veterinarian at Princeton and a Senior Scholar is a nationally recognized veterinarian and experienced manager of animal care and use programs. Laura is also currently the Vice-President Elect of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science. Before joining Princeton in 2011, Laura served as Director of Veterinary Services at Charles River Laboratories in Massachusetts, overseeing scientific development of transgenic models and other areas of animal research. From 2009-2011, Laura served as the Senior Director of U.S. Laboratory Animal Medicine, Preclinical Division at Charles River, where she ensured regulatory compliance and managed a 91,000-square-foot animal facility. Prior to her positions held at Charles River, Laura worked as a manager and veterinarian in the laboratory animal science division at GlaxoSmithKline. She has also served as an instructor at multiple institutions including Mount Ida College, Thomas Jefferson University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Pennsylvania. Laura earned her Bachelor of Science in veterinary medicine and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in comparative medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a second post-doctoral fellowship in an NIH-funded Biomedical Training Program with the Washington University Department of Psychiatry, where she develop and refined models of alcoholism. Laura became a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1999.

Job Titles:

• Faculty Research Forum, Princeton Research Day, Office Projects and Events Management

Lauren Jakobsson is leading an effort to discover human remains owned by Princeton University, both on- and off-campus, and combine multiple databases to catalogue their existence and provenance. Lauren graduated in 2019 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor's in anthropology with a concentration in archaeology. Following graduation, she served a yearlong Americorps term with the National Park Service as the archaeological intern at Tonto National Monument in AZ. During this experience, she became interested in pursuing the ethical treatment of human remains in anthropology/archaeology, particularly in the application of the Native American Graves, Protection, and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). To better understand the context that surrounds this federal mandate as well as the historical basis of the relationship between Tribal governments and the United States, Lauren attended the University of Oklahoma, College of Law and received her Master of Legal Studies in Native American and Indigenous Peoples Law. In 2023, Lauren served as the NAGPRA Fellow for Preservation Virginia, a small historic institution, where she located, catalogued, and rehoused all Indigenous artifacts according to NAGPRA guidelines. Now, here at Princeton, she is determined fulfill the role of HROB Project Analyst with the reverence that the project requires.

Job Titles:

• Assistant
• Executive Assistant to the Dean

Lieve is the executive assistant to the Dean for Research, and the Senior Associate Dean for Research. She provides administrative support to the Dean's office and to various programs, special projects and research communications. Prior to joining Princeton, Lieve was the meetings & events coordinator and graphic designer for the American Physical Therapy Association of New Jersey. She held various positions in the music industry and medical communications organizations in Belgium and the UK. Lieve holds an associate's degree in communications as well as in graphic design.

Job Titles:

• Director and Attending Veterinarian, Primate Research Resources
• Is Director

Mario is Director and Attending Veterinarian for the Non-Human Primate Research Program at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. Prior to joining Princeton University, he served as Associate Director for Veterinary Clinical Care at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2022-2023). Before that he was the Attending Veterinarian and Associate Professor for Eastern Virginia Medical school from 2010 to 2022 and Veterinary Director of the institution's graduate program in Laboratory Animal Science from 2012 - 2022. He served intermittently as Interim Attending Veterinarian for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA; Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA; and Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. Mario served as Veterinary Director, Attending Veterinarian and Associate Professor for Magee-Women's Research Institute of the University of Pittsburgh Medical College from 2005 to 2010. Previously, he was a Clinical, Surgical and Research Veterinarian at the Caribbean Primate Research Center of the University of Puerto Rico from 2002 to 2005. Mario worked for the United States Federal Government as a Veterinary Medical Officer for the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Care Division, and a Civilian Veterinarian at military facilities in Puerto Rico from 2000 to 2002. Mario earned his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of Puerto Rico (1992) and obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge (1998). He completed a Masters Degree in Animal Science and Reproductive Endocrinology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez (1999). Mario has special interests in animal welfare and advanced diagnostic techniques such as ultrasound and other imaging modalities. He has presented several posters at different professional associations such as AALAS, LAMA and APV on topics of laboratory animal welfare and facility management. Mario teaches diseases of laboratory animals and anesthesia and surgery in lab animals. He routinely volunteers his free time at local animal shelters and vaccination clinics.

Job Titles:

• Director of Communications
• Senior Associate

As Senior Associate Director of Communications in the Office of the Dean for Research (ODFR), Maureen leads communications operations, supports the evolving needs of the research community, and enhances ODFR's impact on campus. She previously served as Vice President of Communications at the New York Health Foundation, which has a mission to improve the health of all New Yorkers, especially people of color and others who have been historically marginalized. Earlier, Maureen worked at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she focused on building relationships with federal policymakers and working with grantees to communicate effectively with elected officials, the media, and other key audiences. Maureen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Colgate University and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

Job Titles:

• Executive Assistant

Meghann Kleespie is the executive assistant for Vice President for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Peter Schiffer. Meghann Kleespie Executive Assistant; Office of the Vice President for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton University Email kleespie@princeton.edu

Job Titles:

• System Analyst / Application Delivery Manager
• Systems Analyst / Application Delivery Manager

Ming is a System Analyst/Application Delivery Manager responsible for implementing the eRIA IACUC and IBC research compliance modules from InfoEd. Ming brings more than 10 years of experience designing training strategies and providing business analysis for both higher education and corporate environments. In her most recent position at Temple University, Ming designed and provided extensive training and worked to implement a number of InfoEd applications including Proposal Development/Tracking, COI and Compliance modules to facilitate and promote the overall efficiency of research administration. Ming received her B.S. in Management Information Systems from the Ohio State University and her M.S. in Instructional Technology from Lehigh University. She lives in Fort Washington, PA with her husband, Hsin-Ji.

Job Titles:

• Administration Systems and Information Technology
• Manager, IT Services

Neal leads the ODFR-IT Desktop Computing and ODFR-IT Content Management and Collaboration Technologies services. Neal brings 25 years of experience in higher education IT support, including Help Desk Management at the Stern School of Business at NYU and American University. He has also provided desktop support at the School of Public and International Affairs, the Center for Statistics and Machine Learning, the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council, and the Economics Department at Princeton University. Most recently, he delivered IT and Events Production Support for the Office of the Dean for Research. Outside of work, Neal is a devoted father who enjoys producing and livestreaming his daughters' swim meets and other live events. He also shares his tech expertise by giving monthly presentations at a local assisted living facility.

Job Titles:

• Dean
• Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois
• Vice President for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Peter Schiffer is Princeton University's dean for research, vice president for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and the Class of 1909 Professor of Physics. As dean, he leads Princeton's research enterprise and works closely with leaders across campus to develop and support the University's dynamic research community. Schiffer heads the Office of the Dean for Research, which supports world-class research by helping faculty, staff and students connect with external and internal resources to create knowledge, make discoveries and address scientific and technical challenges. As vice president for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Schiffer oversees Princeton's governance and operation of PPPL, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory managed by Princeton University. Schiffer received his B.S. in physics from Yale University in 1988 and his Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University in 1993. At Stanford, his dissertation work was supervised by Douglas Osheroff, recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in physics, focusing on studies of superfluid and thin films of helium-3 at temperatures within a few thousandths of a degree of absolute zero. After completion of his Ph.D., Schiffer performed postdoctoral research at AT&T Bell Laboratories with Arthur Ramirez, elucidating novel phenomena in magnetic materials. In his first faculty appointment, at the University of Notre Dame, Schiffer established a research program studying a wide range of magnetic materials as well as the physics of granular materials, e.g., sand. Schiffer moved to a faculty position at The Pennsylvania State University in 2000. Working with collaborators at Penn State, he launched the field of "artificial spin ice" in 2006. In 2007, he assumed the position of associate vice president for research and director of strategic initiatives at Penn State, where he oversaw a range of activities associated with the university-wide research enterprise. In 2012, Schiffer was appointed as vice chancellor for research and professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In that role, he was responsible for providing leadership for campus-wide interdisciplinary research institutes, promoting new research initiatives, and overseeing the administrative and business processes that ensured the productive, safe and ethical conduct of research. In 2017, he returned to Yale as the inaugural vice provost for research, the first university-wide senior research officer in the institution's history, also joining the Yale faculty as a professor of applied physics and physics. As vice provost for research, he was deeply involved in leadership of the university's strategic enhancement of its STEM enterprise, as well as numerous efforts to address emerging needs of the research enterprise. In 2019, he was named the Frederick W. Beinecke Professor of Applied Physics. In 2020, Schiffer returned to a non-administrative faculty role, focusing on his continuing research on magnetic systems. At the same time, he was also named a senior fellow at the Association of American Universities (AAU), engaging in a range of topics relevant to the national research enterprise. He also served as the director for strategic projects in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale and as director of graduate studies in the Department of Applied Physics. In August 2023, Schiffer moved to Princeton to become dean for research and professor of physics. He was appointed Princeton University's Class of 1909 Professor of Physics in June, 2024 and became Vice President for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in September, 2024. Schiffer has co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and supervised more than 20 doctoral students, as well as dozens of undergraduate researchers. He has served in various leadership roles in the American Physical Society, including the chair of both the Topical Group on Magnetism and its Applications and the Division of Materials Research, as well as on the Council of Representatives and the Board of Directors. He is the recipient of a Career Award from the National Science Foundation, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the Army Research Office, and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. He received the Faculty Scholar Medal in the Physical Sciences and the Joel and Ruth Spira Award for Teaching Excellence from Penn State. He is also a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, NASA, DARPA, and the Army Research Office, among others. Peter Schiffer Dean for Research Vice President for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Class of 1909 Professor of Physics Email pschiffer@princeton.edu

Job Titles:

• Associate Director

Rajiv manages the office's Sales Cloud CRM application and other strategic information resources, as well as prospect research and analytics. He came to Princeton in 2010 from the consulting industry with extensive experience in economic, financial, and industry analysis. His prior consulting engagements included the valuation of business enterprises, equity interests and intangible assets. Rajiv has a MBA in information management and finance from Rutgers Business School, and a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) from Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) in India. He has completed the Management Development Certificate Program at Princeton and is a Salesforce Certified Administrator.

Job Titles:

• Communications Specialist
• Communications

Rose Rai supports Princeton University's Office of the Dean for Research as a Communications Specialist, bringing a wealth of expertise in strategic communications and multimedia production across nonprofit, academic, and corporate sectors. Before joining Princeton, Rose worked with the United Nations Global Compact, where she managed and developed content that advanced global sustainability initiatives. Previously, Rose served as a Multimedia Specialist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she developed impactful content for student engagement and managed multimedia projects. Rose has also held roles with Bamboo Crowd and Zillow Group, contributing to successful communication campaigns and audience engagement initiatives. She holds a bachelor's degree in Multimedia Production and Filmmaking and is passionate about amplifying research through creative and purposeful storytelling.

Job Titles:

• Director, Research Integrity and Assurance

Sheera Gaskin joined the office of Research Integrity and Assurance in February 2016 to implement a post-approval monitoring compliance program for the IACUC, IRB, and IBC. She was promoted to Assistant Director in 2018. Sheera earned her Master's degree in Laboratory Animal Science from Drexel University. She is an AVMA accredited Graduate Veterinary Technologist, and a PRIM&R Certified Professional IACUC Administrator. Sheera has worked in the field of veterinary medicine since 1997, specializing in emergency medicine and anesthesia since 2003. She has served on an IACUC since 2002, and has specialized in animal research and compliance since 2007. Sheera has been the recipient of the Bio-Serv Enhancement and Improvement of Animal Welfare Award 2012 and the Drexel University Academic Achievement Award 2007-2009. Sheera is an adjunct professor and has served as the IACUC Chair at Camden County College since 2012. She is a member of the National Honors Society and professional organizations including DVB AALAS, National AALAS, PRIM&R, NABR, NJABR, NJVTA, IACUCAA, and PSBR. Sheera is active in public outreach that involves educating the public on the humane use of animals in research and the important role of the IACUC. Sheera enjoys cooking and spending time with her husband Tim and son Elijah.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Job Titles:

• Assistant Chief
• Information Officer
• Assistant Chief Information Officer in the Office of the Dean

Sushma Mendu is the Assistant Chief Information Officer in the Office of the Dean for Research. In partnership with ODFR leadership and the Office of Information Technology, Sushma leads efforts related to information technology systems, data strategy, information security, and technology infrastructure. Sushma Mendu previously served as Senior Director at Princeton University's Office of Information Technology and as Director of Enterprise Systems at The College of New Jersey. She has overseen application services spanning diverse campus areas and led several digital technology initiatives resulting in the successful assessment, implementation, and integration of campus-wide digital platforms and ecosystems.

Job Titles:

• Sponsored Research Business Analyst