Institutions: University of California, San Francisco; Boston University; Harvard University.

Ara Tahmassian, Ph.D., was named as the University Chief Research Compliance Officer at Harvard University in July of 2013. In this role, Ara is broadly responsible for the oversight of the review, development, and implementation of policies related to research compliance activities across the University. Additionally, Dr. Tahmassian works toward the overall effort to manage potential risks at the University by integrating and coordinating the significant compliance requirements across the University.

Prior to being named University Chief Research Compliance Officer at Harvard in 2013, Ara Tahmassian was the Associate Vice President for Research Compliance at Boston University and Boston Medical Center from October 2006 to July 2014, where he was responsible for maintaining a research environment that promoted integrity and ethical behavior and that abided by the regulations and requirements established by the federal, state, and local funding agencies. Included in his portfolio were human and animal research protection programs, Laboratory Animal Science Center, Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Preparedness; Office of Sponsored Programs; Institutional Biosafety, Radiation Safety and Laboratory Safety Committee; Individual and Institutional Conflicts of Interest; and Export Control.  He also served as the Research Integrity Officer; the Principal Investigator for the Core BSL-3 Select Agent Laboratory and as one of the Associate Directors of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) at the BU Medical Campus.
In October of 2006, he retired as the Associate Vice chancellor for Research after 20 years at University of California San Francisco.

Dr. Tahmassian holds a B.Sc. in nuclear engineering and a Ph.D. in radiobiology from Queen Mary College, London University, and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Sciences in Nuclear Medicine.
Ara Tahmassian has been active in national and international efforts and has served, and continues to serve on many committees including: two terms on the Board of Directors of the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), Chairing the Research Compliance and Administration Committee; served on the NUCRA Professional Development Committee and as a Contributing Editor for the NCURA Magazine; is currently a member of the Interim Executive Committee of Broader Middle East and North Africa Biosciences Forum, COGR’s Research & Regulatory Reform, FDP Animal Subject’s Subcommittee, NCURA Select Committee on Peer Programs, and Select Committee on Global Affairs.