Josh Gladden, vice president for research at Temple University, was named on April 15 to leadership positions with two national research organizations. Gladden will serve as a board member and Finance Committee chair of the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), and as a board member and chair of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
These appointments highlight Temple University’s expanding role in collaborative scientific efforts across the country. Both SURA and ORAU work with universities, government agencies, and industry partners to support large-scale research initiatives.
“Organizations like SURA and ORAU are amazing platforms with decades of experience building and supporting large-scale collaborative efforts,” Gladden said. “With my new roles at these vital organizations, Temple is well positioned to contribute to national research priorities while expanding opportunities for our faculty and students.”
SURA announced Gladden’s appointment in a Jan. 28 press release, noting that he will help guide financial strategy during an uncertain funding environment nationwide. “He emphasizes SURA’s unique strengths in collaboration, stating that he will pull on the committee’s ‘different connections, different perspectives, and different wise owls’ to optimize SURA’s path forward financially in service of its mission,” according to the press release.
Founded in 1980 by several universities aiming to build what is now known as Jefferson Lab—a particle accelerator used worldwide—SURA today consists of 57 member institutions from across the country. Recent members include Temple University alongside other high-research activity universities such as the University of Delaware, Vanderbilt University, Texas A&M University, Indiana University, George Mason University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Gladden also takes on a leadership role at ORAU. Founded in 1946 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing learning, health care innovations and scientific knowledge through partnerships between higher education institutions—now numbering more than 170—government agencies and industry partners; ORAU’s board includes representatives from major institutions such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Purdue University.
Gladden joins both boards during a period when collaboration among universities is increasingly important for addressing complex scientific challenges.
