GW named its first vice president for research on Monday, a major step toward University President Steven Knapp’s goal of transforming the University into a top research institution.

Leo Chalupa, currently professor neurobiology and ophthalmology at University of California, Davis, has more than 30 years of experience as an administrator and educator. As the University’s chief research office, Chalupa will be “charged with leading GW into the top tier of the nation’s research institutions,” according to a press release.

The search committee, which included representatives from each of GW’s nine schools and colleges, said Chalupa’s experience reviewing and applying for federal and nonfederal grants was another key factor in his appointment. He has secured grants from the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Guggenheim Foundation, and others.

Chalupa will begin April 1, 2008. Watch gwhatchet.com for the full story later this week.