The University of Iowa Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) has promoted Aliasger Salem to senior associate vice president for research, effective July 1.
"Professor Salem is an invaluable member of the OVPR leadership team, dedicated to strengthening our research infrastructure; supporting faculty success especially in the natural, physical, engineering and health sciences; leading efforts to obtain external funding for research infrastructure; and advancing major strategic initiatives,” said David Schwebel, vice president for research.
Salem, the Bighley Chair and professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the College of Pharmacy, was appointed associate vice president for research in a part-time capacity in July 2022, with a special focus on the health sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and natural sciences. He oversees four OVPR core facilities: the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing, the Central Microscopy Research Facility, the High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Facility, and the Materials Analysis, Testing, and Fabrication Facility.
Salem is the university’s principal investigator for the multimillion-dollar Iowa EPSCoR project, which brings together researchers across the state to build research capacity and infrastructure and train a skilled biomanufacturing workforce. He also serves as the university’s principal investigator for an NSF I-Corps program focused on immersive entrepreneurial training designed to reduce the commercial risk of moving scientific research from the laboratory to the marketplace.
An elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Salem worked closely with the UI Research Foundation to establish a local NAI chapter and has served as its president since the chapter’s founding in May 2024.
As a faculty researcher, Salem has made significant contributions to pharmaceutical sciences, authoring more than 285 peer-reviewed publications, securing 12 patents, and attracting more than $85 million in research funding. He is also the recipient of the 2025 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, the 2020 Leadership in Research Award, and the 2020 Hancher-Finkbine Medallion.
Salem recently received the Samyang Award from the Controlled Release Society (CRS). The award is presented to scientists in biomedical research who demonstrate strengths in areas of drug discovery and development and make significant scientific contributions to their areas of research. He will be recognized during the 2026 CRS Annual Meeting and Exposition this July in Lisbon, Portugal.