Courtesy of Aimee Blodgett | USF
Pictured Above: Sanberg is the second member of the USF administration to step down from their position this week.
By Aya Diab
After leading USF Research and Innovation for seven years, Dr. Paul Sanberg will step down as senior vice president, effective Jan. 18.
Sanberg will be transitioning from his current role to faculty as a distinguished university professor in the department of neurosurgery and brain repair at USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine.
“I’m very excited to be returning to my first love, neuroscience research at the Center of Excellence for Aging & Brain Repair, Department of Neurosurgery & Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine,” Sanberg said in an email to The Crow’s Nest. “I have never stopped working as an active researcher all throughout my time in administrative leadership and I’m delighted that I will now be able to focus more on research I am passionate about.”
Sanberg will remain in his current leadership roles in the National Academy of Inventors, Florida Inventors Hall of Fame and the USF Institute for Advanced Discovery & Innovation, according to an announcement issued Jan. 12.
A national search for his replacement will launch during the spring semester. In the meantime, Keith Anderson, assistant vice president for research and innovation, will serve as acting leader of the research institution.
According to his staff bio, Sanberg is an inventor on 164 U.S. and foreign patents, has authored more than 705 articles and 14 books and has more than 34,150 citations to his published work. He also served on numerous editorial and scientific boards.
For the future of USF Research and Innovation, Sanberg feels confident in the abilities of the team and research faculty. He described USF as an “innovation powerhouse.”
“Under the leadership of Dr. Michael Bloom, Assistant Vice President for Corporate Partnership & Innovation, and Dr. David Conrad, Director of USF’s Technology Transfer Office / Patents & Licensing, USF will continue to be a leader in innovation throughout Florida and beyond,” Sanberg said.
Sanberg is the second member of the USF administration to step down from their position this week. On Monday, St. Petersburg’s regional chancellor, Martin Tadlock, announced he will be stepping down from his position to pursue teaching come Dec. 31.
“I wish to sincerely thank Dr. Sanberg for his extraordinary dedication to USF research and to cultivating innovation in Florida,” USF President Steve Currall said in an email to faculty. “We wish him the best in the next chapter of his intellectual and professional journey.”
Editor’s Note
This article was updated on January 13, 2021, to provide comment from Sanberg.
