Appointment of Dr. Forrest Masters as Assistant Vice President for Research

David Norton, Vice President for Research

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Forrest Masters as assistant vice president for strategic initiatives at UF Research. Within this role, Dr. Masters’ efforts will include developing institutional strategies to better compete for signature research funding opportunities; accelerating research growth in strategic areas, including artificial intelligence; and developing data analytics platforms to foster collaboration and improve research and operational effectiveness. He will also lead a new Council of Research Associate Deans (CRAD) whose focus will be to better synergize research efforts across colleges. 

Dr. Masters has served as the associate dean for research and facilities within the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering since 2015. As a professor in the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment he has received numerous grants from state, federal and private sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, for his research on the impact of tropical cyclones on the built environment. He founded and served as the inaugural director of one of seven national experimental facilities for the NSF to study infrastructure performance in natural hazards and he serves on the Engineering Research Council Board of Directors for the American Society of Engineering Education. 

Dr. Masters will be leaving his leadership role in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and joining UF Research effective August 15.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Forrest Masters on his new position within UF Research.