Office for Research and Innovation Leadership Transition
December 12, 2025
Dear Stony Brook Colleagues,
I write to share that Kevin Gardner, vice president for research and innovation, has announced his plans to step down from his position and return to the faculty at the end of the 2025 calendar year.
Kevin joined the State University of New York at Stony Brook in August 2024, serving as the senior executive overseeing the development and stewardship of the university’s research and innovation enterprise. During his tenure, his leadership of the Office of Research and Innovation resulted in a number of successful initiatives that have positioned Stony Brook for even greater success in the future. Kevin initiated organizational changes to enhance the university’s focus on discovery and economic impact and oversaw the creation of new pathways and programs for faculty and student innovation and entrepreneurship, such as Brook and Beyond and Innovate: Honors Edition.
He also led Stony Brook to records for new awards and research expenditures and built centralized core facility support, research communications, and a national research reputation-building strategy, which have bolstered support for the university’s research and innovation endeavors. I want to commend Kevin for his dedication, commitment, and successful efforts to enhance our excellence and impact around research and innovation, and thank him for his service on behalf of the university.
I will soon name interim leadership, and in the new year I plan to launch a national search for the next leader of research and innovation, with the objective of having them in place before the start of the next academic year.
Sincerely,
Andrea Goldsmith
President