Vice Provost for Research Pamela Norris will step down on Aug. 1, according to a University release. 

Norris, who has served in her role for almost three years, will remain at the University as a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, according to the release. Robert Miller, the School of Medicine and Health Science’s vice dean for research and academic affairs and GW’s former vice provost for research, will take over as the interim vice provost for research while the Office of the Provost organizes a search for a permanent replacement, the release states. 

“I am so thankful for their teamwork, their creativity and their commitment to excellence,” Norris said about the Office of the Vice Provost for Research team in the release. “There is a clear and direct link between the efforts of staff and research administrators and the discoveries that are making an impact in the world.”

During Norris’ tenure, the University joined the Association of American Universities, a prestigious, invitation-only organization for research universities that officials cited as a priority goal when searching for a new University president during the 2022-23 academic year. The University’s federal research expenditures also grew by $22 million following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, but GW fell four places in the expenditure rankings among higher education institutions last fiscal year. 

At the February Faculty Senate meeting, senators said delays in University research approvals and payments for research staff impeded their ability to conduct research. Norris attributed the holdups to “very large” staff turnover within the Office of Research, Integrity and Compliance, which lost at least three staff members last academic year, according to website archives. 

Norris also launched a new orientation system with grant writing workshops to help onboard researchers in fall 2023 and in February 2022 oversaw the implementation of myResearch, a system to help faculty streamline the research application process. 

Norris formerly served as the University’s vice president for research but stepped down in August 2020 to become SMHS’ interim vice dean for research and academic affairs. He will remain as SMHS’ vice dean for research and academic affairs while serving as vice provost for research, the release states. 

“The GW scholarly community is creative, innovative and collaborative,” Miller said in the release. “I look forward to working closely with the provost and university leadership to advance our research mission and support faculty, postdocs and students from across all disciplines.”