Bass

Andrew H. Bass, professor of neurobiology and behavior, has been named associate vice provost for research, effective June 1.

"Andy's experience as department chair and his leadership role as chair of the Life Sciences Advisory Committee will be invaluable as he takes on new responsibilities in my office," said Robert A. Buhrman, the John Edson Sweet Professor of Engineering, Applied and Engineering Physics and senior vice provost for research. "Andy's portfolio will be campuswide and cross-disciplinary in its scope. His other experiences as a director of graduate studies and a faculty-in-residence on West Campus for five years give him an especially broad perspective of the Cornell community."

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research helps plan and coordinate research across the university and represents Cornell interests as they relate to external agencies and sponsors. The office supports the activities of sponsored research, technology transfer and research compliance, including care for research animals. It is responsible for 16 interdisciplinary research centers, including those that focus on astronomy, cell and molecular biology, vertebrate genomics, elementary particle physics, materials science, and nanoscale science and technology.

One of Bass' first tasks will be to chair an ad hoc animal care review committee, now being established by Buhrman, to undertake a systematic review of Cornell's animal care program and to provide detailed advice as to how it can be best positioned to meet the research and teaching needs in the coming decade as well as be better aligned with the fiscal realities of the university. In addition, Bass will have lead responsibility for promoting and facilitating intercampus initiatives with the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. In that role, he will also advise Provost Kent Fuchs.

"I look forward to my new responsibilities in the research division, where my expertise can be applied to the important task of facilitating new research opportunities for both junior and senior faculty." Bass said.

His research uses fishes as model systems to investigate the evolution of neural and hormonal mechanisms that underlie plasticity in both the sense of hearing and sound production that plays a central role in social vocalization. "You might say that I'm a good listener. After more than two decades of listening to fish, I'm ready to try my hand at the more advanced task of learning the language of research administration," Bass said. His work has been funded by both the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation for nearly 25 years.