Richard Mocarski

Richard Mocarski, Ph.D., arrived at NIU in 2024 after previously serving as the associate vice president of research at San José State University. Over the course of two decades of progressive experience in research administration, Mocarski has played a leadership role in securing and administrating more than a billion dollars in external funding.

At NIU, Mocarski is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of the research and innovation enterprise portfolio. As such he oversees campus-wide planning efforts for research facilities, fosters collaboration with external partners, provides support for intellectual property and technology transfer, and promotes an innovative research environment that fosters multidisciplinary research projects. Mocarski provides strategic guidance and decision-making on matters relative to resource planning, policy development, promotion of research, scholarly and creative activity, and exploration of innovative interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaborations in a shared governance environment.

Mocarski holds bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in communication studies and Ph.D. in communication and information sciences from the University of Alabama. His own research has been funded continually for over a decade by the National Institutes of Health and focused on lowering barriers to health care for transgender populations.