- Associate Vice President for Research
- Director, Office of Industrial Partnerships
Gloria (Geanie) Umberger, PhD, MSPH, RPh, was appointed Associate Vice President for Research and Director of Industry Research Collaborations at Penn State on May 1, 2021. In this role, Umberger will be responsible for developing and nurturing corporate relationships with potential and existing partners to further industrial research growth at the University.
Before coming to Penn State, Umberger spent 10 years at Purdue University, where she has been engaging industry partners in economic development activities, including attracting companies to Indiana, development of IoT and cybersecurity technology park, and other initiatives around student educational offerings, projects and opportunities. She also established collaborations between Purdue faculty with industry for the purposes of sponsoring research and supporting large-scale projects and centers. In addition, Umberger has had significant industry experience performing successful regulatory compliance, large-scale project management, technology-based business development, and building innovative university-industry relations. “We are extremely excited to have Geanie joining us,” expressed Senior Vice President for Research Lora Weiss. “She will be leading and expanding our research collaborations with industry in a multitude of ways.”
Geanie Umberger attended the University of Kentucky where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy, a Master's of Science in Public Health, and a Ph.D. in Anatomy and Neurobiology. Dr. Umberger’s postdoctoral work at the UK College of Medicine's Department of Neurology focused on the development of techniques using functional MRI to diagnose Alzheimer's and other memory-related diseases. Umberger served as Purdue's Assistant Vice President for Industry Relations in the Vice President office for Research and Partnerships, and Associate Dean for Engagement in the Purdue Polytechnic. In addition to her extensive work in academics as a senior administrator and faculty member, she worked in industry for IBM, Lexmark International, REGISTRAT, and Bristol Myers-Squibb.