UCSD - University of California - San Diego

08/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/27/2026 03:40

Dr. Sam Ward Appointed Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation

Published Date

August 27, 2026

Article Content

Dr. Sam Ward has been appointed Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, effective July 1, 2026.

Ward is currently transitioning away from his role as vice dean for research in the School of Medicine and is a professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Radiology in the School of Medicine and Bioengineering in the Jacobs School of Engineering. Since joining the faculty in 2006, he has built a distinguished record as a clinician-scientist, collaborative leader and innovator whose work has helped advance research across disciplines.

In his new role, Ward will join the Vice Chancellor's Office of Research and Innovation, which supports campus research through strategic growth, interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation and research administration. He will help strengthen connections across the university's research enterprise and expand engagement with external partners.

"Dr. Sam Ward brings a rare combination of scientific excellence, collaborative leadership and deep institutional knowledge to this role," said Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation for Corinne Peek-Asa. "As UC San Diego continues to grow its research enterprise, his experience building cross-disciplinary programs and supporting investigators will help us strengthen our community of discovery and accelerate innovation in ways that improve lives."

Ward said his goals as senior associate vice chancellor are to help grow and diversify the research enterprise, build and sustain a world-class research community, and modernize and integrate discovery, research and innovation across campus.

"I'm deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. UC San Diego has an extraordinary research community that I feel privileged to be a part of," Ward said. "This is an exciting opportunity to reach broadly across campus, connect with colleagues across the UC system and to strengthen the infrastructure that makes the impact and benefit of our growing research enterprise possible."

As vice dean for research, Ward has helped strengthen and expand multidisciplinary research programs across the School of Medicine and beyond. His leadership portfolio has included strategic planning, faculty recruitment, research continuity efforts, strategy for centers, institutes and core services, commercialization and entrepreneurship programming, and initiatives that support the research ecosystem and cross-campus collaboration.

"I'm grateful for this opportunity and for the chance to help support the people who make UC San Diego such a remarkable place for discovery. Early on, I'll be focused on listening, building relationships and identifying practical ways to support research excellence across disciplines," Ward said. "I'm particularly interested in how we can continue to invest in our faculty through thoughtful internal funding strategies and other programs that help ideas take shape and thrive."

This is an exciting opportunity to reach broadly across campus, connect with colleagues across the UC system and to strengthen the infrastructure that makes the impact and benefit of our growing research enterprise possible. Dr. Sam Ward
Ward, right, works with an interdisciplinary team of colleagues at UC San Diego's Human Performance Institute to predict how an individual body responds to physical stress, recovers and adapts.

Ward will transition from his vice dean role over the next year to help ensure continuity in the School of Medicine while establishing strong collaborations across campus.

His research focuses on musculoskeletal design and plasticity, with particular emphasis on skeletal muscle biology, chronic muscle atrophy and regenerative medicine approaches to treating disease. He has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has maintained continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and other agencies throughout his faculty career.

Ward's contributions to science and medicine have earned him numerous honors, including the Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Marion Williams Award from the American Physical Therapy Association. He is also a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the Orthopaedic Research Society and the American Physical Therapy Association.

He earned his physical therapy degree from California State University, Long Beach, and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. Ward first came to UC San Diego in 2003 for postdoctoral training before joining the faculty in 2006.

In addition to his academic and administrative leadership, Ward is known for his creativity outside the lab as an avid craftsman, photographer and outdoorsman, with artistic work has been recognized in local and state competitions.

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