Mississippi State University and the Search Committee for Provost and Executive Vice President invite interested members of the campus community to attend public presentations by each finalist.

—Candidate Three: Dr. David R. Shaw, Tuesday, May 14, 4-5 p.m., Colvard Union, Foster Ballroom M

Serving Mississippi State University for nearly 34 years, veteran senior administrator Dr. David R. Shaw is the vice president for research and economic development at MSU. As the chief research officer for Mississippi’s flagship research university and land grant institution, he provides oversight for all aspects of research compliance.

Under his guidance, MSU now conducts well over half of all funded university research in the State of Mississippi, with research expenditures at MSU exceeding $240 million. The university has attained Carnegie R1 status and is ranked 94^th overall in research and development by the National Science Foundation and 64^th among public universities – including a national ranking of 9^th in Agriculture research and 17^th in Social Science research.

Mississippi State’s research funding comes from a wide range of sources, including business and industry, trade groups, and local governments, state offices and federal agencies, including the USDA, National Institutes of Health, Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense.

In addition to its high NSF status, MSU is the only university in the state to achieve Innovation and Economic Prosperity University status from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and its Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity. The designation—attained after a rigorous review process—recognizes Mississippi State for working to advance engagement and economic well-being in the state, region and nation.

Shaw is also the president of the MSU Research and Technology Corporation, and oversees the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. MSU has a strong focus on multi-disciplinary, collaborative research and development, and its strategic focus areas include unmanned aerial systems, materials science and engineering, renewable fuels, data to decisions, cyber security, public policy and international development. During his tenure, MSU has played a significant role in recruitment efforts to bring Nissan, GE Aviation, Stark Aerospace, American Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters), Aurora Flight Sciences, Paccar, Severstal and Yokohama Tire to the state. 

Dr. Shaw, who holds Mississippi State’s highest honorary distinction as a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor, is a fellow of the Weed Science Society and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Growing up on a family farm in rural Oklahoma, Shaw holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Cameron University in Oklahoma and a master’s and doctorate from Oklahoma State University, both in weed science.

The Search Committee for Provost and Executive Vice President is mindful of the critical balance between individual privacy and the public’s right to know. It is our responsibility to keep constituent groups informed of the progress of the search, and we are committed to that course.

For additional information about the search, please visit www.provostsearch.msstate.edu.