Senior Leadership
Andrés G. Gil , Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the University Graduate School
Andrés G. Gil is the Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Dean of the University Graduate School, and Professor in the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work at FIU. As Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Andrés Gil provides institutional leadership for the university’s research enterprise and has several centers that report directly to him.
Under his leadership, FIU has grown its research enterprise in terms of research funding, the expansion of research facilities, and progression in national rankings from Carnegie R2 to R1. He led the creation of StartUP FIU and the acquisition of the Center for Translational Science (CTS) in Port St. Lucie, Florida (formerly the Torrey Pines Institute for Biomolecular Science), and the establishment of FIU’s Wall of Wind research facility (a NSF NHERI Experimental Facility). Dr. Gil earned his B.A. in Sociology from Florida International University and a Ph.D. in medical sociology from the University of Miami. His research has been funded by the NIH, NSF, and foundations in areas pertaining to health disparities, adolescent substance abuse and mental health, and graduate education. Before joining FIU, he held faculty positions in interdisciplinary academic units, including the School of Family Studies at the University of Connecticut, the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley, and the Western Consortium for Public Health.
Dr. Gil’s research has appeared in top-tier journals, including the American Journal of Public Health, General Archives on Psychiatry, and Addiction. He has been a member of several Initial Review Groups for NIH, including for the Center for Scientific Review, NIMH, NIAAA, and SAMHSA. He has also been a member of the Advisory Council for NIAAA. In the area of research administration, he has held leadership positions in various organizations, including member of the board of directors for the National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention (LCAT), member of Board of Trustees for Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), chair of the Development Committee for SURA, member of Executive Committee for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Council on Research (COR), Co-Chair, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)’s HBCU/MEI Steering Committee Council, member of the GRE Board of Directors, and Vice-Chair, and Chair of the Vice Presidents for Research of the State University System of Florida. He is a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps, with the rank of Sergeant.
William T. (Bill) Anderson, Associate Vice President for Research
Dr. Anderson’s efforts encompass the areas of research development for faculty, doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars. He has direct supervision over the Office Technology Management and Commercialization, the Office of Innovation and Economic Development and Research Information Systems & Communication. Bill serves as the primary liaison between ORED & the Office of Strategic Communications, Governmental and External Affairs. He also works closely with the Senior Vice President in areas pertaining to research space and laboratory needs, core facilities, research integrity, laboratory safety and research faculty recruitment. He joined FIU in 2000 as Assistant Professor, and has risen to the rank of Professor. Administratively, he has served as Chair of the Department of Earth & Environment and Associate Dean of Faculty in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, where he last served as Vice Dean. He received a doctorate of Natural Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zentrum), an M.S. in Geology from Syracuse University and a B.A. in Geology from the University of Kansas. A stable isotope biogeochemist, Bill’s research focuses on biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen in marine systems, as well as the oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen isotopic signatures in organic material. His research has been published in top-tier journals; he has presented in national and international conferences, and has received funding from the NSF, the American Chemical Society, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, among others.
Jack Puleo, Associate Vice President for Research, Strategic Initiatives in Coastal Engineering and Resilience
Dr. Puleo is Associate Vice President for strategic initiatives in coastal engineering and resilience, as well as the dean of FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing. A nationally recognized scholar in coastal engineering and resilience, Puleo is widely known for his research on coastal processes, hydrodynamics, and sediment transport, with expertise in nearshore dynamics, wave run-up, and nature-based shoreline resilience. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and secured more than $30 million in sponsored research funding across more than 65 federally supported projects. Before joining FIU, Puleo served as chair of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware, where he also directed the Center for Applied Coastal Research. His national service includes appointments with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Board of Coastal Engineering Research and the U.S. Coastal Research Program’s Decadal Steering Committee on Coastal Processes. Puleo brings deep expertise in interdisciplinary research, academic leadership, and advancing innovative solutions to coastal and environmental challenges.
Tonja Moore, Associate Vice President of Research, Strategic Planning and Operations
Ms. Moore provides leadership in the development and management of strategic research investments, support systems, and sustainable infrastructure critical to FIU’s continued research growth and very high research Carnegie classification. Tonja has over 24 years of experience at the University of Virginia and at FIU in academic administration and research operations. In her previous roles, she has provided leadership for and managed strategic planning, performance-based resource allocations, academic personnel, faculty affairs, research administration, streamlining operational efficiencies, and policy development. She also has experience specifically within academic health administration and clinical practice operations. She serves our research faculty by providing enhanced post-award services to colleges and major research centers, as well as more systematic management of research administrative operations among the academic units. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and a Bachelor of Science degree in computer management from West Virginia University Institute of Technology.
Robert Gutierrez, Associate Vice President for Research
Mr. Gutierrez serves as Associate Vice President for Research in the Florida International University (FIU) Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED), where he provides strategic and operational leadership for the university’s research administration enterprise. His portfolio includes oversight of units supporting proposal development and review, award negotiation, research security, export controls, classified research programs, and other core functions related to contracts and grants management.
Mr. Gutierrez has been with FIU since 1997 and has served ORED since 2002, bringing extensive institutional knowledge and experience to advancing the university’s research mission. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration, both from FIU.
He has presented at domestic and international conferences and seminars on a range of topics, including research data management, the use of technology in research administration, NIH processes for Latin American institutions, and the application of business process methodologies to enterprise resource planning initiatives. His professional background includes experience in departmental research administration as well as legal expertise gained through prior experience as an insurance defense litigation specialist.
Mr. Gutierrez is an active member of the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) and has served as the university’s administrative representative to the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) since 2007. He currently serves on the FDP Research Security Subcommittee.
David Driesbach, Assistant Vice President for Research, Research Information Systems
Mr. Driesbach serves as Assistant Vice President for Research within the Office of Research and Economic Development and University Graduate School at Florida International University. In his role, Mr. Driesbach leads university efforts to optimize the information technology and data resources available for the University’s research and graduate studies communities. Since 2008, his team, Research Information Systems, has collaborated across the institution to implement projects that have transformed operations along the research and graduate student lifecycles. Mr. Driesbach is a member of the Educause Research Computing and Data Steering Committee. He has also served as a Campus Champion for FIU with the NSF XSEDE/ACCESS program and is the university’s technical representative for the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP). Previously, Mr. Driesbach served as a member of an Oracle Product Advisory Group for Grants, Contracts, and Billing.
Mr. Driesbach has extensive experience enabling transformation through technology and information management within private companies such as Accenture, IBM, and FedEx Express. Mr. Driesbach is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and serves as President-Elect of the South Florida Chapter for the Project Management Institute. Mr. Driesbach has a Bachelor’s in Finance and MIS from the University of Delaware and a Master’s of International Business from FIU.
Mirtha Alberto, Senior Director, Budget & Cost Analysis
Mirtha E. Alberto serves as the Senior Director of the Budget & Cost Analysis section of the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED). Ms. Alberto joined our team in 2005, but was no stranger to FIU. Mirtha graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems from FIU’s College of Business Administration in 1991. In this capacity, she manages the budget for the internal operations of the Office of Research and Economic Development, and all of its university-wide research commitments as well as those of the FIU Research Foundation. Her group coordinates the resolutions of exceptions, processes month-end and year-end transactions, distributes F&A overhead returns to the colleges, monitors operations spending and research spending on allocated stimulus and carry forward funds, enters data for research proposals, awards, agreements, subcontracts, tracks expenses and reconciles C&G department ids, and coordinates time & effort certifications. Mirtha serves as a liaison on university-wide system implementation of projects. She also coordinates professional employee development activities and team building events for the ORED.
Christopher Grayson, Senior Director, Research Integrity
Christopher Grayson joined the Office of Research and Economic Development in 2004. He serves as the Senior Director for the Office of Research Integrity, and is responsible for overseeing the regulatory requirements of several research compliance areas. These areas include the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the Institutional Biosafety Committee, Responsible Conduct of Research, and Research Misconduct. Prior to working at FIU, he administered research compliance at the University of Central Florida. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Central Florida and later earned his Master of Business Administration from Florida International University. He has also earned a Certification as an IRB Manager (CIM) from the National Association of IRB Managers and a Certification as an IRB Professional (CIP) from the Council for Certification of IRB Professionals. Mr. Grayson has been a recipient of the FIU Opportunity Award, a recognition awarded by the President of FIU. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research.
Robert H. Hacker, Co-Founder and Senior Director, StartUP FIU
Robert Hacker is the Cofounder and Senior Director of StartUP FIU, a university-wide initiative to foster innovation and entrepreneurship at Florida International University, where he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses for fifteen years. He devotes much of his time to commercializing faculty research in emerging technology through venture capital investment, corporate partnerships and federal grants. Prior to StartUP FIU he ran One Laptop per Child, an MIT worldwide learning project, and built a billion-dollar public company in Indonesia. He also taught an IAP course at MIT Sloan for seven years and the local and national program for Goldman Sachs 10KSB. He is the author of two books on traditional and social entrepreneurship and a frequent speaker on the 4th Industrial Revolution and related topics in technology, innovation, education, and social impact.
Pedro “Peter” Hernandez, Senior Director, Technology Management and Commercialization
Peter Hernandez serves as the Senior Director of Technology Management and Commercialization, and provides overall leadership and direction for patents and licensing. He plans, develops, directs, and assesses the University’s Intellectual Property portfolio, including generation of licensing revenues. Mr. Hernandez also coordinates cooperative ventures with businesses and industries to promote FIU technology, facilitate industry-university collaboration and technology transfer, and advance the commercial use of FIU intellectual property. Peter earned a BSEE from the University of Miami, an MBA from Florida International University, and a JD from the University of Miami. He is a member of the Texas, Florida and District of Columbia bar associations, and is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Hernandez has over 30 years of experience in industry, engineering and intellectual property management, including transactional matters, business negotiations, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. He has negotiated agreements, licensing and technology transfers with universities, as well as provided numerous training sessions and presentations on all aspects of intellectual property. Prior to joining FIU, Peter worked as Chief Patent Counsel or Senior Counsel for companies such as Eastman Kodak, Goodrich Corporation, Texas Instruments, EndoSonics Corporation, and Motorola.
Regnier A. Jurado, Senior Director, Research Management Solutions
An FIU alumnus with over 15 years of experience in research and financial administration, Mr. Regnier Jurado is the Senior Director of Research Management Solutions. In this role, he serves emerging research units, research centers and faculty in strategic research areas with functions such as finance, purchasing, travel, human resources, facilities and overall post award project administration. His unit assists FIU researchers who are responsible for large research operations by directly assisting in the execution of grants and contracts in areas pertaining to human resources, purchasing, travel and other grant-related activities that require interaction and support from other FIU service units. Regnier rejoined FIU in September 2016 after serving the University of California, San Francisco for 6.5 years, where he held the position of Associate Director of Research Management Services. At FIU from 2005 to 2010, he held positions of Assistant Director of Research in the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, and Associate Director of Pre-Award in the Office of Research and Economic Development.
Donna Kiley, Senior Director, Post-Award
Donna Kiley joined the Office of Research and Economic Development in 2017, and currently serves as the Senior Director of the Post-Award section within the Office of Research and Economic Development. In this capacity, she has overall responsibility for the management and operation of the Post-Award section, which is responsible for the financial administration of contracts and grants awarded to the University. Prior to joining FIU, Ms. Kiley served as the Associate Director of Grants & Contracts Administration for the Research Foundation for the State University of New York. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY. Ms. Kiley is also a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). She is an active member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAi) and has presented on numerous research administration topics at national and regional conferences.
Maureen Pelham, Senior Director, Research Development & Postdoctoral Scholar Services
Maureen Pelham joined the Office of Research and Economic Development in 2010 as the Director of Clinical Trials. As an administrator, she has extensive experience in grant writing, grants management, fundraising, and strategic planning, and is a Certified Fundraising Executive. Before joining FIU, Ms. Pelham spent 14 years in private industry, leading the health care division of a nationally known fundraising company. Her academic administrative experience was gained at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, where she worked for more than a decade as an administrator for three research centers of excellence. Ms. Pelham earned advanced degrees at Vanderbilt University (Master of Science) and the University of Pittsburgh (Master of Healthcare Administration).
