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President Poser Announces Appointment of Dr. Charles Riordan as New Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Hofstra University President Susan Poser today announced the appointment of Dr. Charles Riordan, Vice President for Research, Scholarship & Innovation at the University of Delaware, as Hofstra University’s next Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.
“I am delighted to welcome Charlie Riordan to Hofstra University. During a distinguished career at the University of Delaware, Charlie Riordan has been a teacher-scholar, an academic leader, a visionary, and a builder, and he has a record of creating partnerships between the academy, business and government,” said President Poser. “I am thrilled to have someone with Dr. Riordan’s depth of experience and knowledge in research, academics, and student success as a partner in building Hofstra’s future.”
As Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Innovation at the University of Delaware, Dr. Riordan has responsibility for advancing the University’s research enterprise, including oversight of UD’s Research Office, six university-wide research institutes, core facilities and the Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships. Under his leadership, UD’s sponsored research expenditures have achieved record levels, increasing 27% in the last three years. Dr. Riordan has led the effort in creating multidisciplinary research partnerships, leading federal relations, building commercial partnerships, launching facilities to support research, and establishing infrastructure to allow research funding to grow.
Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a very high research activity institution, UD has ranked among the top 100 universities in terms of federal R&D support for science and engineering under Dr. Riordan’s leadership.
“Hofstra is a dynamic institution with talented faculty and a vibrant, diverse student body, and I am honored to join this great community as its next provost," said Charlie Riordan. "As President Poser brings renewed energy and focus to advance excellence across the university, I look forward to collaborating with her, the academic leaders, faculty and staff to refine and enhance the Hofstra student experience.”
A member of the University of Delaware NSF ADVANCE program since its inception, Riordan has fostered efforts to recruit, retain and mentor faculty from underrepresented groups, while creating a climate of belonging.
A member of the UD faculty since 1997, he served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 2002-07 and was Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education from 2010-13. During his tenure as chair enrollments grew by more than 20% and bachelor’s degrees awarded rose by 34%. He received the University’s outstanding doctoral graduate advising and mentoring award in 2008.
Riordan is an internationally known chemist whose research has been supported primarily by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is the recipient of a 1994 National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award. An elected fellow of both the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he received the 2013 American Chemical Society Delaware Section Award for his scholarly research. Riordan has served on numerous review panels and committees, including three years as Chair, of the NIH MSF-A study section.
Dr. Riordan earned his bachelor’s degree at the College of Holy Cross, his Ph.D. at Texas A&M University and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago.
Dr. Riordan was selected during a national search, led by SpencerStuart, with a committee representing trustees, faculty, administrators and students. He will join Hofstra University on July 1, 2022.