Astrophysicist Edward Seidel Named Vice President of Research and Innovation

MOSCOW--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology announced today the arrival of Edward Seidel as vice president of research and innovation and a professor at the university.

“Ed is a unique asset for Skolkovo Tech. With his interdisciplinary research expertise, international experience, and knowledge of supporting and creating research programs in many areas of science and engineering, he brings a wide variety of skills that are critical to the development of our institution.”

A distinguished researcher and international leader in scientific computing and astrophysics, Seidel comes to Skolkovo Tech from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), where he served as the Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS). At Skolkovo Tech, he will help build research capacity, guide its strategic focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, establish international partnerships, direct the development of 21^st century research facilities and programs, and oversee quality and compliance.

In announcing the appointment, President Edward Crawley said, "Ed is a unique asset for Skolkovo Tech. With his interdisciplinary research expertise, international experience, and knowledge of supporting and creating research programs in many areas of science and engineering, he brings a wide variety of skills that are critical to the development of our institution.”

Skolkovo Tech has previously announced plans to fund up to 15 international research centers to address scientific and technological challenges. Accordingly, the university has launched a call for collaborative research proposals in the fields of Biomedical Science and Technology, Energy Science and Technology, Information Science and Technology, Nuclear Science and Technology, and Space Sciences and Technology.

According to Seidel, “The culture and conduct of research and education, and their critical role in innovation and economic development, are undergoing profound and rapid change as traditional disciplines are merging, new ones are emerging, and all are transformed by advances in computational and data-intensive science. This is a special opportunity to grow a new, world-class research program, with innovation at its core. I’m looking forward to joining the outstanding team at Skolkovo Tech.”

At NSF, a USD$7 billion federal agency that supports research and education activities across science and engineering, Seidel led the MPS Directorate, with an annual budget of more than USD$1.4 billion, overseeing national programs in Astronomy, Chemistry, Materials Science, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics. Prior to MPS, he directed the NSF Office of Cyberinfrastructure, which is responsible for US national programs supporting advanced computing environments, software, computer networking, and their application for addressing complex problems in science and engineering. He was responsible for launching new programs in computational and data-intensive science and engineering (CDS&E) and the NSF-wide Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21^st Century Science and Engineering (CIF21). At NSF, he also catalyzed development of interdisciplinary research programs, including the development of grand challenge programs to attack complex problems.

Seidel has played central roles in launching international and regional research consortiums in Europe and the United States, including the EU Astrophysics Network and GridLab projects, which collectively involved a dozen countries. He also had an integral part in the USD$50-million Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, connecting six research universities and two medical schools across the state of Louisiana.

Seidel’s appointment caps a year of growth at Skolkovo Tech, which marks its first anniversary this month.

The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skolkovo Tech) is a private graduate research university in Skolkovo, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. Established in 2011 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Skolkovo Tech educates coming generations of researchers and entrepreneurs, advances scientific knowledge, and fosters technological innovation to address critical issues facing Russia and the world. Applying international research and educational models, the university integrates Russian scientific traditions with twenty-first century entrepreneurship and innovation.