Aurali Dade

Number of Years in Research Administration: 21

Institutions: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, University of Nevada Las Vegas, George Mason University (current)

Aurali Dade is the named interim Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Impact at George Mason University and President of the George Mason Research Foundation. In this role, starting on August 1, 2020, she serves as the university’s chief research officer, providing overall vision for and execution of the university’s research, innovation and economic development programs.

Dade is the Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation at George Mason University. As Associate Vice President, Dade is responsible for developing and implementing university strategy for fostering a dynamic, supportive and growing research ecosystem. Dade provides leadership for the Research and Innovation Initiatives (RII) team which includes programs, offices, centers and institutes that are focused on supporting, connecting, communicating about, and convening researchers internally and with external partners.

Dade also served as the inaugural Executive Director of Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) from 2019-2020, launching the institute and hiring a full time Executive Director. ISE has the mission of connecting members of the Mason community with others across the Mason community-and with other communities, policy makers, businesses, and organizations-so that, together, we can more effectively address the world’s pressing sustainability and resilience challenges.
Dade previously served as the Associate Vice President for Research Development, Integrity and Assurance (RDIA) from 2016-2019 and the Assistant Vice President for Research Integrity and Assurance from 2012-2016 leading programs in research development, and having broad responsibilities for research compliance programs including secure research, export compliance, human subjects protection, animal care and use, conflicts of interest, responsible conduct of research and others.

At the University of Nevada Las Vegas from 2003-2012, Dade served in several roles. She supported occupational safety, served as the biosafety officer and developed the biosafety program, led the laboratory safety and environmental compliance group (including radiation safety, chemical safety, biological safety and all aspects of environmental compliance including the asbestos abatement program). She then went on to create and lead the Office of Research Integrity with responsibilities for export compliance, human subjects protection, animal care and use, conflicts of interest, responsible conduct of research, and institutional biosafety committee management.

At Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center from 1999-2002 she provided overall oversight for laboratory safety programs; directing the laboratory safety training programs for over 500 laboratories at four sites, serving as the responsible official for the select agents program, the biosafety officer, and the chemical hygiene officer.

Dade has a PhD in Environmental Science, an MS in Biology, and a BS in Environmental Biology. She has taught university classes focused on data ethics, risk, environmental science, and biology. Dade serves as the PI for the Earth Commission subcontract to the Mason Institute for a Sustainable Earth, served as co-PI for the HHS funded conference grant: Promoting Research Integrity in Multidisciplinary and Multiteam Based Science Intiatives (2017) and PI for the HHS funded conference grant: Supporting Responsible Research Organizations: A Framework for Engaged Research Managers and Administrators (2016). She has published articles related to research administration and integrity, sustainability, and biology. She also served as the lead editor and author of two chapters for: Implementing a Comprehensive Research Compliance Program: A Handbook for Research Officers, a book published by Information Age Press in 2015.