New Vice Provost Joins SLU, Seeks to Bolster University's Research Programs

ST. LOUIS – Michael E. Dockter, Ph.D., has joined Saint Louis University as its new vice provost for research following a distinguished career as a professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee, where he was instrumental in growing research funding during a time of shrinking state support for higher education.

Michael E. Dockter, Ph.D. Photo by Rachel Otto

At Saint Louis University, Dockter will lead efforts in a newly structured position that will focus on the development and expansion of research – both medical and non-medical – throughout the University.

The creation of this new position comes following a record level of research funding for Saint Louis University during the last fiscal year and as the University is investing $80.5 million in biomedical facility upgrades. Its new 10-story Edward A. Doisy Research Center is now under construction at the corner of Grand and Chouteau.

"Mike Dockter comes to SLU with extensive experience as a research administrator and with the unanimous support of the faculty who interviewed him," said Joe Weixlmann, Ph.D, provost of Saint Louis University. "We are overjoyed to have him here."

Dockter will work closely with Weixlmann, deans, department chairs, program directors, faculty, and research administration staff in promoting SLU research. He will seek to strengthen research programs at SLU by working closely with private industry and governmental agencies, as well as other educational and research institutions.

"I am delighted to be joining the administrative team at SLU. I am impressed with the breadth of the University’s research enterprise and I look forward to working with the academic leadership and the faculty in building high-quality interdisciplinary and University-wide initiatives. Equally importantly, I look forward to developing research partnerships within the metropolitan area that respond to the University’s community service mission."

Dockter also will play a key role as biomedical researchers move into the Edward A. Doisy Research Center building next fall.

The creation of this position at Saint Louis University comes at a time when research at SLU has flourished, Weixlmann said. During fiscal year 2005, Saint Louis University Medical Center experienced a record year in funds awarded through grants, contracts and subcontracts. SLU medical center researchers received $72.7 million, compared to $34.1 million 10 years ago. SLU researchers in areas outside of the medical center also experienced a record year in funds awarded, generating $7.3 million during the same fiscal year.

For the last eight years, Dockter has served as the chief research officer and vice chancellor for research at the University of Tennessee, and as the associate dean for research and administration in the College of Medicine there. During that time, federal funding for the campus almost tripled – from $22 million to $60 million. During the same period, total annual research awards and contacts there surpassed the $120 million mark during a time when state funding for higher education was shrinking.

Dockter received his Ph.D in biophysics/biochemistry with distinction in 1971 from Washington State University. He did a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of biochemistry at the University of Basel in Switzerland. He received his undergraduate degree from California State University at Sonoma with a B.S. in chemistry and a minor physics, awarded in 1971 with distinction. He has authored numerous publications, including books, book chapters and more than 60 papers in professional journals. His past research funding has included a variety of different sources, including a $13.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and a related grant from the NIH for $4 million.

Dockter is the recipient of the President’s Award from the University of Tennessee Faculty Senate in 2000, the Outstanding Administrator Award in 2002, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the UT Graduate Student Association in 1998 and 1995.

Dockter is married and has two adult children. He and his wife, Marie, live in the Central West End.

Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of 11,800 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching, research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University is the place where knowledge touches lives. Learn more about SLU at www.slu.edu.

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