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Dr. Keith McDowell |
Keith McDowell was named vice chancellor for research and technology
transfer effective June 1, 2007. A chemist, McDowell returns to Texas
and the UT System after four successful years as the first senior research
and technology transfer executive at the University of Alabama. He joined
the Alabama administration in 2003 after serving as vice president for research
and information technology at UT Arlington, where he joined the faculty in 1991
as chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department and later became associate
dean of science and then dean of the graduate school.
McDowell will be responsible for developing and implementing strategies to
expand and enhance research funding at UT System institutions. He will
facilitate collaboration among the academic and health campuses to develop
joint proposals to increase grants and contracts from external sources. McDowell
will also assist UT institutions with research, technology development,
technology transfer and commercialization. Additionally, he will also be
responsible for fostering effective relationships among the university community,
governmental entities, national laboratories, foundations, industry leaders, and
the private sector. McDowell will also work closely with state economic
development programs, specifically the Texas Enterprise Fund and Emerging
Technology Fund.
In fiscal year (FY) 2007, the State of Texas invested $1.7 billion in the 15 UT
institutions through general revenue, enabling exploration, innovation and
ingenuity while educating an advanced workforce. These funds leveraged $1.8
billion for research endeavors, 14 start-up companies (66 in the last five years),
117 U.S. patents (553 in the last five years), and 655 invention disclosures
(2,770 in the last five years), ultimately creating new jobs, products and services.
