Inside Iowa State

July 1, 2005

NSF official named vice provost for research

by Annette Hacker

John Brighton, an assistant director of the National Science Foundation and head of its Engineering Directorate, will become vice provost for research Sept. 1. He has been appointed to a three-year term.

"We are very fortunate to have someone of John Brighton's exceptional experience and national prominence joining Iowa State as vice provost for research. This position is critical to our continuing development as one of the nation's leading research universities," said President Gregory Geoffroy.

Brighton joined the National Science Foundation in 2003, where he has been responsible for engineering research programs. He also has held several key leadership positions at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. He served as executive vice president and provost from 1991 to 1999, and was then appointed University Professor and chair of Penn State's Teaching and Learning Consortium. He served as dean of the College of Engineering from 1988 to 1991.

Brighton led the fluid mechanics research in Penn State's development of the artificial heart, first implanted in a human in 1985. The mock circulation system developed at Penn State has become the standard used by the National Institutes of Health.

From 2002 to 2003, Brighton was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Chicago's National-Louis University.

He is the spouse of Cheryl Achterberg, who will become dean of the new College of Human Sciences on Sept. 1.

Brighton also has held faculty positions at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.; Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Penn.; Michigan State University, East Lansing; and the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.

He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and was instrumental in creating the society's bioengineering division. He also served as the first editor of its journal. Brighton also is a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education, and a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He is active in the American Association of Engineering Societies, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and the Engineering Coalition of Schools for Excellence in Education and Leadership.

Brighton received his bachelor's (1959), master's (1960) and doctorate (1963) in mechanical engineering, all from Purdue University.

Vice provost for research James Bloedel announced in May that he will leave the position to join the faculty in the departments of health and human performance and biomedical sciences.

"We are very fortunate to have someone of John Brighton's exceptional experience and national prominence joining Iowa State as vice provost for research. This position is critical to our continuing development as one of the nation's leading research universities."

President Gregory Geoffroy