Office of Research appoints new director of Research Development

Office of Research appoints new director of Research Development

To: UC Santa Cruz Community

From: Scott Brandt, Vice Chancellor for Research

It is my pleasure to let you know that we have completed our recent recruitment for the Director of Research Development (RD) and Dr. Heather Bell has accepted the position. Heather has been filling the role of Interim Director since February 2021 and has made significant contributions to both the strength of the RD team and its service to the campus community.

Heather came to UC Santa Cruz in April 2020 with 15 years of research and proposal development experience, having most recently served as Research Director for Big Water Consulting in Seattle. Previous to this, she served as Science Advisor and Director of Applied Science at Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), an applied research center managed by the University of Hawaii. Heather holds degrees in Geography (Ph.D., M.A.) and Philosophy (B.A.).

As Director of RD, Heather will play a strong role in leading OR’s Research Development enterprise and will help to establish the vision, priorities and strategies for the RD team in our service to the campus research community.

Please join me in congratulating Heather and welcoming her to her new role!