Veteran Scientist, Administrator Named Vice President for Research for University of Maryland’s Joint Research Enterprise

The presidents of the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) on Monday named Patrick O’Shea as vice president for research (VPR).

O’Shea, who serves as deputy vice president for research at UMCP, will oversee research across the College Park and Baltimore campuses, which together spend $1.4 billion on research annually and collectively rank 11th nationally among public institutions, according to the latest NSF Higher Education Research and Development survey.

As VPR, O’Shea will collaborate with the presidents and senior leadership of UMCP and UMB to shape a forward-looking vision and strategy, guided by national trends in funding and the universities’ key strengths in areas such as quantum research, artificial intelligence, data science, health and biomedical advancements, and national security.

"Vice President O’Shea is a proven leader who was instrumental in launching the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State," said UMB President Bruce Jarrell. "I look forward to partnering with him to deepen the collaboration with College Park and to uncover new opportunities for innovation, discovery and growth."

"It’s exciting to welcome Dr. Pat O’Shea back to this role at this pivotal moment in research administration," said UMCP President Darryll J. Pines. "His extensive experience and distinguished scientific background make him well-suited to lead us into a new era of research. Under his guidance, I’m confident we will continue Maryland’s strong upward momentum."

O’Shea will begin his new position on July 1. He succeeds Gregory Ball, who stepped down after serving more than three years as VPR.

O’Shea served as UMCP's vice president for research from 2011-16. Under his leadership, the university achieved a record level of funding from competitive grants and contracts, made significant strides in areas related to innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization, upgraded and modernized many of its research systems, and launched the strategic research partnership with UMB.

Following his first term as VPR, O'Shea served as president of University College Cork, Ireland (UCC). He has also held positions at Duke University and the University of California, Los Alamos National Laboratory. He received his bachelor's degree in physics from UCC, and his master's and doctoral degrees in physics from UMCP.

O’Shea is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with affiliate appointments in the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics and the Department of Physics. He is a UMCP Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and a fellow of several professional societies.

An expert in electromagnetics, O’Shea is best known for his work on particle accelerators and free-electron lasers. Current projects include X-ray free-electron lasers, superpower terahertz sources, electric ivy dielectric discharge, intense electron beam dynamics and electron photoemission.

Recently, in addition to maintaining his active research and teaching programs, O’Shea worked to advance College Park’s academic offerings in quantum science and engineering, and also played a crucial role in fostering a unified culture supporting research integrity, compliance and operations at the university.

“I am honored to step into this role and deeply committed to ensuring that our two universities continue to rise as pinnacles of excellence, taking their places among the leading institutions in the world,” said O’Shea. “My motivation stems from a love for our universities, the people and state of Maryland, and the many wonderful colleagues in Baltimore and College Park with whom I have worked and who have contributed so much to our success.”