Cynthia Sagers

Dr. Cynthia Sagers is an educator, scientist, and higher education leader. She became Vice President for Research at Arizona State university in September 2018 and has led the growth of the research enterprise to record levels of scholarly achievement and a global reputation for innovation and entrepreneurship. Under Sagers’ leadership, ASU advanced interdisciplinary research programming, major research infrastructure projects, and launched an ambitious program in international research development. Dr. Sagers previously served as Vice President for Research and professor of biology at Oregon State University, and Associate Vice Provost and professor of biology at the University of Arkansas. She is the former chair and long-term member of the board of directors for the Organization for Tropical Studies, an international consortium of research institutions. She has served and counseled numerous economic development agencies on matters of university innovation and commercialization, and federal agencies on science and technology policy. She is the author of articles in population biology and ecology, with a recent emphasis on food safety and policy.

Dr. Sagers completed a Ph.D. at the University of Utah and was a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley before joining the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas. She has earned recognition as a research fellow with the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama), and the National Research Council working at the US Environmental Protection Agency (National Health and Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL), Corvallis, Oregon. Her research program has been funded by the US EPA, National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, and US Department of Energy. She has held senior leadership positions with the National Science Foundation, University of Arkansas, and Oregon State University.

Dr. Sagers has developed a distinctive set of skills and leadership qualities to help resolve issues and advance science/technology agenda rapidly. Her abilities to grow relevant research, advance groundbreaking discoveries, promote the development of scientists and engineers, and design major infrastructure improvements have significantly increased the reputation and impact of each institution for which she has held a leadership role. Her distinguished record of university leadership includes broad experience dealing with university stakeholders including funding agencies, policy makers, business interests and industry. She has proven management experience in strategy development, budget administration, public relations, policy formulation, program implementation, and personnel management. Throughout her decades-long academic career, she has succeeded as a leader by creating and sustaining partnerships within the academy and beyond.