Our Vice Provost for Research
Bernard Arulanandam, Ph.D., M.B.A., Vice Provost for Research
Dr. Bernard Arulanandam, PhD, MBA, is Tufts University Vice Provost for Research, where he oversees the Tufts research enterprise. As the Chief Research Officer, Dr. Arulanandam sets the strategic vision and oversees key regulatory areas for research at Tufts. He oversees research compliance and safety, central pre-award research administration, technology transfer, research integrity, and research development. He also spearheads strategic partnerships with key institutions that complement Tufts’ strengths, and partners with school and university leadership to advance Tufts’ research goals and reputation as a research-intensive institution. Dr. Arulanandam is a strong advocate for multidisciplinary research efforts, building strategic external partnerships, promoting innovation and technology transfer, cultivating faculty and staff professional development opportunities, and enhancing research and scholarly activities for students, all of which will ensure Tufts’ status as a mid-sized, student-centered, research-intensive institution.
Prior to coming to Tufts, Dr. Bernard Arulanandam served as the Jane and Roland Blumberg Professor of Biology and the Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise (REDKE) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). At Tufts, he will bring his experiences at UTSA in forming partnerships with federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, in building cross-cutting and high-impact research centers, and implementing new programming to support the translation of basic science to social and economic impact.
As an established Immunologist, Dr. Arulanandam has an appointment in the Tufts University School of Medicine. His research focuses on elucidating host-microbial interactions and the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the induction of immune responses against infectious diseases. Dr. Arulanandam’s interdisciplinary research accomplishments are demonstrated by his awards from the National Institutes of Health, DoD, and Department of Homeland Security, as
well as an extensive list of research publications and issued patents. Dr. Arulanandam has successfully mentored many students and post-doctoral fellows who have now developed independent productive careers in government, industry and academia.
Dr. Arulanandam was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and received the Fulbright International Education Administrator Award in 2016. In 2017, Dr. Arulanandam was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM). Most recently, he was inducted as a fellow to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in 2019.
Dr. Arulanandam obtained a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical College of Ohio and received a postdoctoral fellowship at the Albany Medical College in New York and an executive M.B.A. at The University of Texas at San Antonio.