Jill Szczesek, PhD

Jill Szczesek, PhD, was named associate vice president, health sciences research administration and finance in May 2023. In her role, she has responsibility for building upon existing research infrastructure and collaborations within UB’s Academic Health Center and with other university units. She focuses on ensuring that research faculty receive the support needed from pre-award to post-award, thereby improving and strengthening the research pursuit process for faculty and administrators.

Her expertise in team science and research administration are integral to the health science efforts across its six complementary schools, each aimed at growth of UB as a world-class destination for medical education, research and clinical care and UB’s goal to situate itself among the Top 25 public research universities in the nation in the next decade.

Szczesek is an experienced leader in academic and research communities. She served as the chief operating officer of the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute from 2009 to 2021 and managing director of the BioXFEL National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center from 2013 to 2021. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president for corporate and foundation relations in UB’s Division of University Advancement.

Szczesek received a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy from the University at Buffalo where her research focused on science policy, research resource optimization and team science. She also holds a Master of Arts degree from UB in social and philosophical foundations of education, as well as a Master of Science degree in higher education administration from Canisius University.  She completed her Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree at Rochester Institute of Technology.