I am pleased to announce that Dr. Sam Ward has been appointed the next Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, effective July 1, 2026.
Dr. Ward is currently 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 UC San Diego faculty in 2006, he has built an outstanding record as a clinician-scientist, research leader, and collaborator whose work has advanced innovation across disciplines.
I am excited to bring Dr. Ward into the Office of Research and Innovation team to increase our connections to the research enterprise across all of campus and with our external partners.
Dr. Ward affirms our campus priorities in saying, “This campus is filled with incredibly bright, highly motivated trainees, staff, and faculty. My goals as SAVCRI are to; 1) help grow and diversify our research enterprise, 2) build and sustain our world-class research community, and 3) modernize and integrate discovery, research and innovation across campus.”
As Vice Dean for Research, Dr. 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 related to centers, institutes, and core services, commercialization and entrepreneurship programming, and the development of initiatives that support research infrastructure and cross-campus collaboration.
Dr. Ward will transition from his role as Vice Dean for Research in the School of Medicine over the next year to ensure a smooth transition and to establish strong collaborations across campus.
Dr. Ward has held multiple leadership roles throughout campus through which he has supported research growth, collaboration, and impact. 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 NIH, Department of Defense, and other agencies since beginning his faculty career. His 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.
Dr. Ward earned his physical therapy degree from California State University, Long Beach and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. Dr. 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, he is known for his creativity and curiosity beyond the lab as an avid craftsman, photographer and outdoorsman whose artistic work has received recognition in local and state competitions.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Ward on this vital position. I know he will bring vision, energy and deep institutional knowledge to the Office of Research and Innovation as our team continues to foster the advancement of UC San Diego’s research and innovation enterprise.
