Fisher reappointed as vice president for research

Over the past five years, Ellen Fisher has championed the phrase "Research is Education" in her role as vice president for research at The University of New Mexico.

This mantra embodies more than words - it is a profound philosophy that has helped guide her leadership as the University's research enterprise celebrated some of its greatest accomplishments since 2021. Now, Fisher has been reappointed to that role for another five-year term until 2031.

Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Rodriguez said she has greatly appreciated the leadership, vision, and dedication that Fisher has brought to UNM over the past several years.

"I'm delighted to reappoint Vice President Ellen Fisher to a second five-year term," Rodriguez said. "Her work has been transformative for our research enterprise and has strengthened our academic mission in countless ways. This renewal is a testament to the confidence I have in Ellen's continued impact on our students, faculty, and the broader community."

Fisher's new term begins Feb. 1.

"When I first became a Lobo, it was during one of the most challenging times in recent history - the height of the pandemic. Remote work had become the norm, and many researchers felt they had lost ground," Fisher said. "But in the face of uncertainty, we built a strong, dedicated team committed to supporting our faculty in every way possible. We invested in our people - faculty, staff, and students - and created transparent systems that strengthened and expanded UNM's research enterprise.

"Today, that investment is paying off and it has been an incredible privilege to be part of this journey - a team that empowers researchers to achieve excellence and make an impact that truly matters."

Fisher oversees a large, active, and diverse research enterprise at UNM. In fiscal year 2025, research expenditures continued to climb for central campus, reaching $181 million (from $111 million in fiscal year 2021), proposals totaled $521 million, and there were $245 million in awards.

Fisher leads a robust team of more than 60 faculty, staff, and students who report to the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). Demonstrating her commitment to the concept of team science, one of Fisher's initial tasks as VPR was to re-imagine the University's presidential Grand Challenges program. With that, UNM Grand Challenges is now a multi-level program uniting researchers, educators, students and community members in solving challenges of critical importance to our state, nation and world. UNM Grand Challenges currently consists of six Level 1 and three Level 2 teams. An investment of nearly $2.5 million has produced more than $102 million (more than half of that) generated since its re-imagining.

Since her appointment as vice president for research (VPR) in 2021, Fisher has played a pivotal role in enhancing the research landscape at UNM with the addition of two new transdisciplinary research institutes, the Accelerating Resilience Innovations in Drylands (ARID) Institute and the Quantum New Mexico Institute (QNM-I).

"Transdisciplinary centers are not just important-they are transformative. By investing in bold, cross-cutting institutes, we elevate UNM's leadership and amplify the impact of our groundbreaking research" she said. "Centers like ARID and QNM-I are forging powerful partnerships across universities, national laboratories, state agencies, and industry. Together, we are driving technological innovation, fueling economic growth, advancing sustainability, and building a workforce that will shape the future of New Mexico."

Under Fisher's leadership, the OVPR has also created the WeR1 faculty success program, a multi-faceted approach to faculty development. The program includes elements focused on research leadership, instrument acquisition, scholarship time, enterprise software for research, faculty in social sciences and humanities, and most recently, proposal resubmission and reframing of research activities.

Fisher also holds a faculty position as a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Before becoming a Lobo, Fisher served as assistant vice president for strategic initiatives in the Office of the Vice President for Research at Colorado State University (CSU). During her 27-year career at CSU, she was a professor of analytical, physical, and materials chemistry and was the founding director of a cross-disciplinary initiative, the School of Advanced Materials Discovery. She also has held numerous administrative and faculty positions.

Fisher is a fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, and the American Vacuum Society (AVS). She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award, was an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator, and received the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar award and the Plasma Prize from the AVS. In fall 2025, she was awarded the John A. Thorton Memorial Award from AVS, which recognizes outstanding research or technological innovation in the areas related to the AVS, with emphasis on the fields of thin films, plasma processing, and related topics. Fisher was recognized for her contributions to the advancement and understanding of plasma chemistries and plasma-surface interactions in thin film deposition and surface modification.

Fisher received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics from Texas Lutheran College (now University), and a Ph.D. in physical-analytical chemistry from the University of Utah.