Strengthening One KU research support

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past year, we have been making steady progress toward a One KU research support enterprise — one designed to serve researchers seamlessly across campuses while honoring local expertise, relationships and strengths.

We are writing to share an update on leadership reporting and functional alignments that took effect this month. These changes are part of a longer-term strategy to better coordinate research support services and position KU for continued growth in research excellence and impact.

These alignments merge some teams and bring other parallel units and leaders into closer relationship across Lawrence and the Medical Center, enabling stronger coordination while maintaining service continuity. 

What is changing
As of April 26, several major research support areas are aligned under One KU leadership and functional structures. Please note: Although each employee has one official supervisor for HR purposes, One KU Research relies on a matrix model in which many roles involve broader strategic oversight, coordination and collaboration across units. 

  • Research Administration, Research Fiscal Affairs, Human/Clinical and Animal Research Operations, and Research Safety/Oversight

    • Paul Toler, senior associate vice chancellor for research administration, now provides One KU oversight for his continuing portfolio, which includes sponsored programs administration, research financial services, clinical/human research operations, animal research operations, and research safety and oversight. Paul reports to Shelley Hooks, vice chancellor for research, who reports to Matthias Salathe, chief research officer.

    • The following Lawrence-based leaders in these areas now report to Paul to further align their units with their Medical Center counterparts:

      • Alicia Reed, assistant vice chancellor for research, overseeing the Lawrence research administration unit.
      • Gina Cregg, executive director of research fiscal affairs, overseeing the Lawrence fiscal affairs unit.
      • Craig Kreikemeier-Bower, director and attending veterinarian, overseeing the Lawrence Animal Care Unit.
         

  • Research Communications & Training

    • Research communications and training functions are unified in a new One KU Research Communications & Training unit led by Mindie Paget, assistant vice chancellor for research communications & training, who continues reporting to Shelley Hooks.
    • This integration connects research communications, research training, and research integrity education across campuses to ensure more coordinated messaging, aligned training experiences, and enhanced compliance culture.

    • Mindie continues to lead research communications functions, including supervising all research communications staff. The following personnel also report to Mindie, leading the functions described in their updated titles:

      • Ashley Carlson, director of research training & workforce enablement
      • Susan MacNally, director of research integrity & compliance education
         

  • Research integrity functions

    • Research integrity and compliance operational roles have transitioned into unified One KU functional teams, aligning oversight of human research protection, animal care and use, and conflicts of interest while preserving strong local connections.

    • Reporting-line changes associated with this consolidation include:

      • Alyssa Haase, research compliance manager, now reports to Kyle Stephens, director of the Human Research Protection Program. Kyle now reports to Jaime Phalp, senior director of clinical research operations, who reports to Paul Toler.
      • Larissa Dobbeleare, IACUC administrator, now reports to Nathan Culley, executive director of regulatory affairs for biological sciences. Nathan continues reporting to Paul Toler.
      • Bob Szrot, compliance officer, now reports to Ryan Werth, director of research integrity & conflict of interest. Ryan continues reporting to Natalie Holick, chief compliance officer.
         

  • Research Strategy, Development & Impact

    • Research strategy, development and impact functions are now part of a One KU Research Strategy & Impact unit led by Ruth Sosnoff, executive director for strategic initiatives. Ruth now reports to Shelley Hooks.
    • Ruth continues to lead strategic research initiatives, research development and the Digital Health Co/Lab. She also oversees a newly unified internal research support and recognition function that aligns internal research funding, limited submissions and faculty research recognition efforts across One KU.

    • The following Lawrence-based personnel now report to Ruth to align shared unit functions across campuses:

      • Doug Bornemann, director of proposal enhancement
      • Jen Arbuthnot, assistant director of internal programs

What this means for the research community
These leadership and functional alignments — reflected in this high-level org chart (.pdf) — will help us build a more efficient, navigable and collaborative research ecosystem that positions KU for sustainable growth. As researchers and other partners across campuses, you can expect:

  • Continued access to the same support teams you rely on today.
  • Behind-the-scenes coordination that improves consistency and reduces duplication over time.
  • A clearer foundation for future improvements in systems, services and research administration tools.

As next steps unfold, we will develop any changes that affect service delivery thoughtfully and communicate them well in advance. In the meantime, you may submit questions, concerns or suggestions through the One KU Research feedback form, anonymously or with attribution.

The success of the One KU Research initiative — and our goal to significantly increase research expenditures and activity in the years ahead — depend on the expertise, engagement and dedication of our research community. We are grateful for the work you do each day as we build this next chapter together.

Respectfully,
Matthias & Shelley

Matthias Salathe
Chief Research Officer
& Senior Vice Chancellor

Shelley Hooks
Vice Chancellor for Research