Dr. Patricia Sullivan serves as Interim Vice President for Research at New Mexico State University, while also continuing her leadership role overseeing the Physical Science Laboratory. A three-time NMSU graduate, Dr. Sullivan brings more than 40 years of experience as a mentor, innovator, collaborator, and relationship-builder.

As Associate Vice President for Research Administration, Giron supports the research, creativity and economic development missions of the New Mexico State University system by overseeing central research development, pre-award and non-financial post-award administration, and research integrity and compliance. Research Administration staff are responsible for the final approval and submission of all externally-sponsored grant and contract proposals, negotiation and execution of agreement terms and conditions, coordination of research involving human subjects and animals, and biosafety and export control research considerations. Giron promotes significant engagement with state and federal initiatives through existing professional affiliations and new endeavors benefiting the competitive posture of NMSU's vast research portfolio. She is a graduate of NMSU having earned a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Arts in Government. Giron began her career at NMSU as a Grants & Contracts Administrator.

Dr. Tanner Schaub is the Assistant Vice President for Research at New Mexico State University, where he leads the Research Infrastructure and Partnerships unit and directs the university’s Research Cores Program, which coordinates institutional core facilities and shared research infrastructure. He manages campus-wide strategies that support research growth, including industry partnerships, faculty startup and cost-sharing programs, research computing capacity building, collaborations with the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, and major institutional research initiatives. Dr. Schaub is a Research Leadership Fellow of the APLU Council on Research and also serves as a Research Professor, with research focused on applying advanced high-resolution mass spectrometry to complex problems in environmental systems, biological science, fuels, and materials. He began his research career as a staff scientist at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

As Director of Workforce and Strategic Engagement, Sullivan is leading efforts to reimagine the role of higher education to support current and emerging high-wage, high-skilled, high-demand (H3) career opportunities through strategic public-private partnerships and engagement with government agencies. The unit is focused on building partnerships within and external to the NMSU system to create a collaborative workforce ecosystem that brings alignment with state economic development target industries and workforce needs, fosters early-career awareness (K-16), supports economic development efforts to attract and retain high-wage, high-skilled, high-tech (H3) career opportunities across the state, and in collaboration with the NMSU Global Campus, works to integrate relevant and relatable professional development to upskill, reskill and new skill the current workforce. An overarching goal is to build collaborative partnerships with employers to shorten onboarding time in the workplace post-graduation, making NMSU the university partner of choice for employers.