Rowan University Appoints New Vice President for Research

On Jun 29, 2020

Rowan University President Ali A. Houshmand announces the appointment of Tabbetha A. Dobbins, Ph.D., as vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School.

Dobbins previously served as provost fellow for research at Glassboro-based Rowan, a role she used to champion early career faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

“An outstanding, nationally recognized scientist in materials science, Dr. Dobbins is a passionate educator whose research and teaching emphasizes the engagement of underrepresented populations in STEM,” Houshmand said. “She is a 2009 recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and has been awarded more than $2 million in research funding since 2003.”

An associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, Dobbins recently won NSF funding to study and mitigate the effects of university closures due to COVID-19 on Black undergraduate students of physics. The project builds on her earlier work as part of the American Institute of Physics National Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy, or TEAM-UP.

Dobbins is now charged with facilitating and enhancing research activities across Rowan University. She will lead strategic growth in multidisciplinary research areas and will serve as Rowan’s representative on external research boards.

The School of Graduate Studies, approved by the Board of Trustees effective Jan. 1 of this year, reestablishes leadership and infrastructure for graduate programs within the Office of the Provost. Under the direction of the Provost, Dobbins will foster strategic and operational alignment of faculty, student, and visiting scholars’ research activities with academic research programs, promote the growth of doctoral programs, and oversee graduate student policies and services.

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