Georgia Southern hires accomplished leader as new Vice President for Research and Economic Development

David Weindorf, Ph.D., has been selected to become the new Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Georgia Southern University.

Weindorf comes to Georgia Southern from Central Michigan University (CMU), where he has served since 2020 as the Vice President for Research and Innovation. He has led CMU to a 32% increase in external grantmanship, a 39% increase in scholarly output, and an 85% increase in research impact.

“I am very excited to welcome David to Georgia Southern,” said Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Carl Reiber, Ph.D. “He has a proven record that demonstrates his ability to move our office forward and is the perfect person to build on the legacy that has already been established.”

Weindorf also helped CMU become an officially designated Space Grant institution. A soil conservationist by trade, he holds several patents, was a Fulbright Scholar in 2011 and a Fulbright Specialist in 2018, and won the Presidential Award in 2017 from the Soil Science Society of America. Weindorf and his research team provided emergency response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as well as the Gold King Mine spill.

“I am so incredibly excited and honored to be joining the phenomenal community of scholars at Georgia Southern. The momentum, vision and aspiration of the entire community is palpable,” said Weindorf. “Georgia Southern’s confluence of the Statesboro, Armstrong and Hinesville campuses position it strongly within a corridor of incredible economic development. I look forward working with the faculty, staff, students and administration to cultivate the relationships that will empower the university to be a strong partner for growth across the region.”

Weindorf holds a B.S. in Range Management, M.S. in Soil Science (geochemistry minor), and a Ph.D. in Agronomy from Texas Tech University (TTU).

GSU