The Division for Research and Innovation is dedicated to fostering academic research, national research centers, and cross-cutting research initiatives, while also supporting associated organizations and infrastructure.

At Stevens, the pursuit of creative and entrepreneurial research is fundamental to our mission. A key focus of the Vice Provost for Research & Innovation is to cultivate communities centered around specific research areas. These communities are united by a shared objective, transcending departmental and school boundaries, and serve as the foundation of our extensive research endeavors, which are prioritized at the institutional level. Central to the research environment at Stevens are the principles of inventiveness, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Our learning environment encourages collaboration among students, faculty, and partners from government and industry, guiding projects from conception to market realization. We actively support and incentivize the development and sustainability of cross-disciplinary clusters within these communities, facilitating integrated research and technology development and commercialization efforts.

Dr. Edmund “Ed” Synakowski

Vice Provost for Research and Innovation

Ed SynakowskiDr. Edmund “Ed” Synakowski serves as the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. In addition, he holds a joint professorship in the Department of Physics and the School of Systems and Enterprises. He and his office work in partnership with the schools to continue building the university’s thriving research and innovation enterprise. Dr. Synakowski previously served as Vice President for Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and as Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of Wyoming. In both universities, he served as a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Earlier in his career, he served as the Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences at the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Synakowski directed the Fusion Energy Program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 2006–2009 and served as a researcher, and then research program leader at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory from 1988–2005. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and the UK’s Institute of Physics and has received awards for excellence in plasma physics research from the APS and Princeton University.