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August 1, 2016

Dear Members of the Tufts Community,

It is my great pleasure to announce that Simin Nikbin Meydani, DVM, PhD, will serve as Tufts University’s Vice Provost for Research (VPR). Simin will begin her new responsibilities on a part-time basis on August 15, and assume the office fully on October 1. During this transition period, Simin will continue to serve as Director of the USDA Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA). As VPR she will remain research active, continuing to serve as Director of the HNRCA Nutritional Immunology Laboratory.

Dr. Meydani’s scientific interests include the basic mechanisms of aging, impact of nutrition on the aging process and age-associated diseases, role of nutrition on immune and inflammatory responses, and predisposition to infectious diseases in developed and less developed countries. Her research is multidisciplinary and expands from cell and molecular to animal and clinical investigations. She is an internationally recognized scholar with more than 300 publications and over $40M of continuous NIH, USDA, industry and foundation research funding as principal investigator or co-investigator and serves/has served on several NIH study sections, industry and foundation grant review committees and advisory boards.

Simin has been associated with Tufts University for more than 30 years, first as a scientist and then as a lab director at HNRCA. Since 2009, she has been the HNRCA Director. Over the past few years, Simin has led the very successful university-wide thematic area working group on Healthy and Active Aging. In addition to her HNRCA appointments, Simin is Professor of Nutrition and Immunology at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the Sackler Graduate Program in Immunology. Throughout her career, she has mentored many students, young scientists and faculty. Simin was President of the American Society of Nutrition in 2014-2015 and President of the American Aging Association in 2005-2006. She is the recipient of both societies’ most prestigious awards.

I wish to thank the deans, administrators, and Office of the Vice Provost (OVPR) staff who participated in this internal search. Please join me in congratulating Simin on her new role at Tufts, and thanking her in advance for the leadership and partnership she will provide.

Sincerely,

David Harris

Provost and Senior Vice President