Washington State University
01/08/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/08/2025 08:15
Kim Christen named vice president for research
Kim Christen has been named vice president for research following a comprehensive internal search. Christen, who has served as associate vice president/vice chancellor for Research Advancement and Partnerships since 2023, will officially step into the role Jan. 20, 2025.
"With nearly 20 years of research at WSU, Dr. Christen brings a wealth of knowledge that will allow her to work closely with faculty, staff, students, community partners, and university leadership across the WSU system to set a strategic vision for WSU's research enterprise and continue its positive momentum," said Provost Chris Riley-Tillman. "During Kim's tenure in the Office of Research, she has clearly demonstrated her ability to assess and articulate WSU's research priorities and is committed to enhancing our strengths. Additionally, her experience and success in legislative advocacy will ensure that WSU receives the assistance needed to advance WSU's strategic priorities."
Christen is a tenured professor in the Department of Digital Technology and Culture in the College of Arts and Sciences and previously served as chair. She also has served as the director of the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation at WSU. Christen founded Mukurtu CMS, an open-source software platform designed with Indigenous communities globally to meet their unique information, curatorial, and data needs. Additionally, Christen was the co-founderand co-directorof Local Contexts, a global initiative to provide digital tools and legal frameworks for stewarding digital cultural heritage, biocultural data, and intellectual property by Indigenous communities.
During Kim's tenure in the Office of Research, she has clearly demonstrated her ability to assess and articulate WSU's research priorities and is committed to enhancing our strengths.
Chris Riley-Tillman, provostWashington State University
Christen is an international leader in the field of information sciences. Her research and scholarship explore the intersections between data management, software systems, and information ethics, specifically addressing issues of access, use, and reuse of cultural heritage, intellectual property, and traditional knowledge in global networks. Christen has collaborated broadly to emphasize community-engaged research, including working closely with Native American nations across Washington state and nationally, as well as with Indigenous communities globally to build digital platforms, mobile applications, and communications networks as catalysts for social change. She has partnered with the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and other federal agencies to advance the digital repatriation of cultural heritage materials and data to Native American nations. In recognition of her research excellence, Christen was inducted into the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2024.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as WSU's next vice president for research and lead the excellent Office of Research team," said Christen. "Between leading the strategic planning and systemwide research enhancement initiatives within the Office of Research and my decades-long experiences building partnerships with tribal nations, industry, technologists, government agencies, and community groups, I am confident that I have the necessary tools to support WSU's research initiatives and stimulate faculty collaborations as they work to advance their research, scholarship, and creative activities."
Christen's research has been funded by federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as well as non-profitand private funders, including the American Council of Learned Societies and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Christen takes over for Interim Vice President Michael Wolcott, who assumed the role following Christopher Keane's resignation in January 2024. Wolcott will return to his faculty position and continue to serve as the director for WSU's Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT), the Federal Aviation Administration's Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and the Environment.