John English will step down from his role as vice chancellor for research and innovation to return to the College of Engineering faculty on Dec. 31. Margaret Sova McCabe will take on the interim role while a national search for the university’s next vice chancellor for research and innovation commences. 

“I’m so excited about returning to my roots, my first love of teaching and being a faculty member,” English said. “To have had a career come full circle in this way is incredibly humbling and fulfilling, and I am truly looking forward to this next phase of my long career in higher education and serving my alma mater.” 

At the U of A, English served as head of the Department of Industrial Engineering from 2000-2007 and as dean of the College of Engineering from 2013-2020, where he held the Irma F. and Raymond F. Giffels Endowed Chair in Engineering. He was appointed as vice chancellor for research and innovation in 2020. He will return to the Department of Industrial Engineering as a faculty member.

“I’d like to thank John for his leadership during this pivotal time in growing the university’s research enterprise,” said Chancellor Charles Robinson. “He has been a steadfast presence on this campus, which has benefited from his contributions to the mission of teaching, research and service. I’m grateful that he will continue to support students on our campus through continuing his teaching duties.”

Prior to joining the U of A as dean in 2013, he served as dean and the LeRoy C. and Aileen H. Paslay Chair of the Kansas State College of Engineering. English is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and holds his B.S.E.E. degree and M.S. degree in operations research from the U of A and his Ph.D. in industrial engineering and management from Oklahoma State University. 

Under English’s leadership of the Division of Research and Innovation, the university reorganized the division, adding clear communications channels and planned growth in the Office of Sponsored Projects and other key programs and activities to better support researchers.

Along with the vice chancellor for economic development, he recruited and hired the inaugural director of the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I3R) and built strong collaboration with other research institutions in the state including the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Arkansas State University. Also, the university again received the highest classification of research activity from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, earning the designation of “Research 1” — Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity. 

McCabe, currently serving as senior adviser for strategic projects and professor of law, where she is teaching and researching food law and policy, will step into the vice chancellor for research and innovation position while a national search gets underway. This interim appointment will be in addition to her current duties, and she will begin on Jan. 1, 2023.

McCabe will focus on implementing key operational enhancements designed in consultation with the Huron Group under English’s leadership, preparing the division offices for new leadership and supporting our campus research enterprise in continued growth and success.

“This responsibility fits in nicely with my other assignments designed to enhance excellence across our operational footprint,” McCabe said. “I know that our researchers and our division personnel are among the best and are dedicated to ensuring our research advances not only the university, but the state, nation and world.”

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.