Dear Panther Family,
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Donald Hamelberg, professor of chemistry and interim vice president for Research and Economic Development, has accepted the role of vice president for Research and Economic Development, effective June 1. Following a national search, his appointment was strongly supported by the Georgia State community, whose feedback on the four finalists who presented on campus played a vital role in the decision. A faculty member at Georgia State for 17 years, Donald has excelled as a leading researcher and a committed teacher, mentor and administrator.
Over the last several months as interim VP, Donald has become a trusted member of our leadership team. In this role, he’s led strategic planning efforts to elevate the university’s research profile, begun streamlining internal processes, introduced technological solutions and established a robust framework to bolster our competitiveness for external funding. He has also launched bold initiatives for research growth, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, high-impact scholarship and creative activity. These efforts will boost research productivity and sustain our upward trajectory.
Donald has a strong track record in academic leadership. Before serving as interim vice president for Research and Economic Development, he served as the associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. Prior to that, he led the Department of Chemistry as chair. He also served as associate chair, director of graduate studies, associate director of graduate studies and professor of chemistry. And just two weeks ago, he was named a Distinguished University Professor in Chemistry.
Donald is an active researcher who has earned multiple grants to support his work in computational biophysical chemistry, and he has published extensively. He serves as editor of the journal Computational Biology and Chemistry (Elsevier) and as reviewing editor of eLife. He is also a member of various editorial advisory boards.
Awards and recognitions include the NSF CAREER Award, prestigious recognitions from the American Chemical Society and Georgia Cancer Coalition, and multiple college awards.
Donald is also a proud Panther himself, having earned a Ph.D. in Computational Biophysical Chemistry from Georgia State in 2001. He did postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois in Chicago, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of California, San Diego.
Through his numerous roles and achievements, Donald has developed an extensive understanding of the research enterprise at Georgia State. He has presented a bold vision for our future. I’m excited to work with him and draw on his wealth of experience to support research and scholarly pursuits across all disciplines and to continue growing the university’s research profile.
I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr. Lisa Armistead, dean of the Graduate School and Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, and L. Jared Abramson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, for their outstanding leadership as co-chairs of the search committee.
Please join us in congratulating Donald and wishing him every success in this position.
All the best,
