ABILENE, Texas — Abilene Christian University announced Monday it has hired Dr. Russell “Rusty” Kruzelock as its first vice president for research. Kruzelock will begin work at ACU Sept. 14.
“ACU has a history of attracting and producing leaders in academic inquiry, and our past decade of remarkable growth in research has revealed the need for an experienced leader in this area,” Dr. Phil Schubert, president, said in a press release from the university. “We are thrilled to be able to welcome someone of his caliber. His vision and depth of experience make him ideally suited to step into this new role.”
The vice president for research role, with a joint-reporting relationship to the provost and president, will promote and facilitate scholarship and research, strengthen external funding and strategic partnerships, and enhance the research infrastructure.
Kruzelock currently serves as CEO of NeutraEnergy, a technology-based social enterprise that commercializes social, environmental and biotechnology solutions through market-driven innovation. One of his most recent accomplishments is demonstrating the economic feasibility of growing high-value crops that restore beauty and productivity to abandoned mine lands in Central Appalachia.
Prior to his role at NeutraEnergy, he worked with the West Virginia Regional Technology Park as executive director and CEO for six years. During his tenure, the Tech Park grew 92 percent, making it one of the fastest growing research parks in the nation.
In 2007, Kruzelock was recruited by the U.S. Department of Defense to help form three government think tanks evaluating technologies and recommending investment strategies for the DoD. He formed Cenovance, which met an urgent DoD need for independent and objective analysis of technologies, according to the release. Additionally, he co-founded and served as chief science officer of a molecular diagnostics company in Austin.
He has served as director of the Advanced Diagnostics Research Laboratories for the Air Force Office of the Surgeon General and advanced diagnostics team leader for the Air Force Epidemic Outbreak Surveillance Program developing advanced molecular diagnostics for hundreds of diseases including avian flu, SARS and Ebola. In 2004, he headed the PharmacoGenomics Department for The University of Texas Cancer Therapy and Research Center’s Institute for Drug Development, working on predictive biomarkers for cancer drug response.
