Oakland University officials announced that Virinder K. Moudgil, Ph.D., professor and chair of the university's Department of Biological Sciences, has been selected to serve as interim vice president of Academic Affairs and provost for the next three years, pending the approval of the board of trustees. The appointment is effective Monday, July 23.

"Dr. Moudgil is an outstanding academician, researcher and teacher, and his leadership over the next three years will move Oakland University along on the ambitious path we've mapped out," said Gary D. Russi, president of Oakland. "He is committed to the development of students and we look forward to what his passion for Oakland's unique learning experience will bring to our management team."

"I'm very pleased to be selected to serve as vice president for academic affairs and provost," said Moudgil. "Oakland University is an exciting place to be at, and my career here has been full of rewarding experiences. I look forward to working closely with faculty, students, staff and Dr. Russi to move Oakland to the upper echelon of institutions of higher learning."

Moudgil joined Oakland in 1976 as an assistant professor of biological sciences, after conducting research and teaching at Banaras University in India. He served his postdoctoral fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also served as a visiting scientist at institutions in Paris and Belgrade.

During the course of his career, Moudgil has received several million dollars in external grant awards, and nearly $3 million in grants at Oakland. His work has been published hundreds of times in scientific journals, and his research on the regulation of the tumor suppressor protein, p53, in cancer cells was considered a groundbreaking discovery in the world of cancer research.

While at Oakland, Moudgil has received many awards, including the Oakland University Foundation Research Excellence Award and the Marian P. Wilson Award.

The search process was open to the entire university community and included a gathering of feedback over several weeks from faculty, academic department chairs, administration and staff.

For more details, read the position paper Dr. Moudgil submitted to the selection advisory committee (SAC) and his answers to specific questions asked during the selection process. The SAC was charged with seeking campus reaction to the candidates considered for the interim vice president of Academic Affairs and provost position.