Staff Directory

Location

Administration

• Dr. Karin Scarpinato, Vice President for Research
  • 

    Phone: 470-578-3365
    kscarpin@kennesaw.edu

    • Biographical Sketch

      Kennesaw State University named Dr. Karin Scarpinato as vice president for research effective July 1.

      As vice president for research at Kennesaw State, Dr. Scarpinato serves as the chief research administrator responsible for the direction of all operations of the University’s Office of Research. She leads all research endeavors within the University and serves as the chief operating officer of the Kennesaw State University Research and Service Foundation (KSURSF).

      Additionally, Dr. Scarpinato provides executive oversight and strategic vision for research, service, and creative activities of the University's faculty, staff, and other research investigators. 

      Dr. Scarpinato previously served as senior associate vice president for research at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Prior to joining FAU, Scarpinato held positions with several universities, including assistant provost for research at the University of Miami; associate dean for faculty and research in the College of Science and Mathematics, associate dean for research and associate professor in the Department of Biology at Georgia Southern University; and associate professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at Wake Forest University. 

      In addition to her academic roles, she is the co-founder of Research Ingenuity, a start-up company focused on providing hands-on strategies for administrative offices to improve teamwork, collaboration and communication. 

      Scarpinato is a national Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities Council on Research Leadership Fellow, appointed in their 2018-2020 cohort. She is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified and working toward a Black Belt. She is the founder of a Women in Research networking group of nationwide women associate and vice presidents for research that discusses best practices in their fields.

      She earned a Ph.D. in Biology and Molecular Genetics, a Master of Science in Biology and Genetics, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Botany and Zoology from Georg-August University in Goettingen, Germany.
• Dr. Scott Nowak, Associate Vice President for Research
  • 

    Professor, Dept. of Molecular and Cellular Biology

    Phone: (470) 578-7777
    snowak@kennesaw.edu

    Biographical Summary

     
• Heather Hedgepeth, Executive Assistant
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-6046
    hhedgepe@kennesaw.edu

Research Operations and Communications  

• Aimee Roper, Director, Business Operations

  • Phone: (470) 578-6918
    aroper10@kennesw.edu
• David Roberts, Communications Manager
  • 
    Phone: (470) 578-3447
    drobe189@kennesaw.edu
• Alyssa Ozment, Social Media Coordinator
  • 
    aozment@kennesaw.edu
• Michelle Chatelain, Business Operations Specialist
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-4884

    mchatela@kennesaw.edu

     

   

• Debbie Ridley, Administrative Assistant
  • 
    Phone: 470-578-4979
    dridle11@kennesaw.edu

Undergraduate Research

• Dr. Amy Buddie, Director
  • 

    Professor, Psychology
    2019 NCUR Co-Chair

    Phone: (470) 578-6255
    abuddie@kennesaw.edu

     

     
• Jennifer Harb, Administrative Assistant
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-6976
    jharb@kennesaw.edu

     
• Michelle Chatelain, Business Operations Specialist 
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-4884

    mchatela@kennesaw.edu

     
• Christin Richardson, Program Manager
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-4799

    crich115@kennesaw.edu

Research Compliance

• Dr. Kristine Nowak, Director
  • 

    Director of Research Compliance

    Phone: (470) 578-4941
    knowak@kennesaw.edu

     
• Dr. Sandra Arntz, Assistant Director
  • 

    Assistant Director, Research Compliance for Human Subjects

    Phone: (470) 578-2106
    sarntz@kennesaw.edu
• Toni Jamison, IRB Coordinator 
  • 

    IRB Coordinator

    Phone: (470) 578-7721
    ajamis14@kennesaw.edu  

Research Development and Strategic Initiatives

• Dr. Heather Abbott-Lyon, Director
  • 

    Associate Professor, Chemistry

    Phone: (470) 578-6140
    habbott@kennesaw.edu

     

     

Sponsored Programs Administration 

• Rachel Kinney, Executive Director of Sponsored Programs
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-2922

    rkinney6@kennesaw.edu
• Kerwin Lawrence, Assistant Director, Pre-Award

  • Phone: (470) 578-6036

    klawre52@kennesaw.edu
• Nikki Grandberry, Senior Grants and Contracts Manager, Pre- and Post-Award

  • Phone: (470) 578-4431
    ngrandbe@kennesaw.edu

    Pre- and Post-Award Staff by Unit
• Julie Austin, Grants and Contracts Manager, Post Award
  • 
    Phone: (470) 578-4831
    jausti34@kennesaw.edu
• Cynthia Brown, Grants and Contracts Coordinator
  • Phone: (470) 578-3164
    cbrow742@kennesaw.edu
• Jennifer Dunn-Rouse, Grants and Contracts Manager, Pre Award

  • Phone: (470) 578-7720
    jdunn99@kennesaw.edu
• Mike Frailey, Grants and Contracts Manager, Post-Award
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-5059
    mfrailey@kennesaw.edu

    Post-Award Staff by Unit
• Ann Graham, Grants and Contracts Coordinator

  • Phone: (470) 578-4530
    agrah112@kennesaw.edu
• Keyonna Jones, Grants and Contracts Manager, Pre- and Post-Award

  • kjone238@kennesaw.edu
• Sharon Strandberg, Grants and Contracts Manager, Pre-Award

  • Phone: (470) 578-5249
    sstrandb@kennesaw.edu
• Nakeya Thorpe, Grants and Contracts Coordinator
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-5490
    nthorpe2@kennesaw.edu

     
• Angela Stover, Grants and Contracts Coordinator
  • astover5@kennesaw.edu
• Robert Bridges, Director, Grants Accounting

  • Phone: (470) 578-3622
    rbridge7@kennesaw.edu
• Theresa Clark, KSURSF Grant Accountant

  • Phone: (470) 578-7478
    tclar151@kennesaw.edu
• Donna Holmes, KSURSF Grant Accountant

  • Phone: (470) 578-3637
    dholme73@kennesaw.edu
• Dylan Solazo, Accounting Assistant

  • Phone: (470) 578-2770

    dsolazo@kennesaw.edu

Intellectual Property Development

• Dr. Christopher Cornelison, Director
  • 

    Assistant Professor, Microbiology

    Phone: (470) 578-5115
    ccornel5@kennesaw.edu

    BioInnovation Lab

Research Centers and Institutes

Center for Research Computing

• Dr. Ramazan Aygün, Director
  • 

    Associate Professor, Computer Science

    Phone: (470) 578-6005
    raygun@kennesaw.edu

     

   

• Tom Boyle, Director, Data Compliance and Computing Operations
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-6180
    tboyle@kennesaw.edu 

     

KSU Field Station

• Michael Blackwell, Operations Manager
  • 

    wblackw2@kennesaw.edu

     
• Luke Miller, Coordinator

  •  rmille86@kennesaw.edu

Center for Innovation in STEM Education Research (CiSTEMer)

• Dr. Brian R. Lawler, Director
  • 

    Associate Professor, Mathematics

    Phone: (470) 578-4235
    blawler4@kennesaw.edu

     
• Christin Richardson, Program Manager
  • 

    Phone: (470) 578-4799

    crich115@kennesaw.edu

Center for the Advancement of Military and Emergency Services Research (AMES Research)

• Dr. Brian Moore, Director
  • 

    Assistant Professor, Psychology

    Phone: (470) 578-7281
    bmoore50@kennesaw.edu

     
• Dr. Israel Sánchez-Cardona, Associate Director, Community Engagement and Outreach
  • 

    Assistant Professor, Psychology

    Phone: (470) 578-7338
    isanche7@kennesaw.edu

   

• Elisabeth Dilling, Research Associate

  • edillin1@kennesaw.edu
• Elsa Sanchez Garcia, Business Operations Specialist
  • Phone: (470) 578-3465
    esach49@kennesaw.edu
• Dr. Bianca Channer, Clinical Manager
  • Phone: (470) 578-7530
    bchanner@kennesaw.edu
• Katherine Moore, Clinical Case Manager
  • Phone: (470) 578-3033
    kmoor219@kennesaw.edu
• Dr. Tyler Collette, Director of Data Core
  • Phone: (470) 578-6225
    tcollet1@kennesaw.edu
• Dr. Chris Hess, Social Demographer
  • Phone: (470) 578-6739
    chess11@kennesaw.edu
• Dr. Kristin Horan, Director of Community Engagement and Outreach
  • Phone: (470) 578-6225
    khoran1@kennesaw.edu
• Eldie Torres Vasquez, Program Coordinator
  • Phone: (470) 578-4369
    etorre27@kennesaw.edu

Research Center for Sustainable Communities (RCSC)

• Dr. Pegah Zamani, Founding Director

  • Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, College of Architecture and Construction Management

    pzamani@kennesaw.edu
• Dr. Amin Esmaeili, Associate Director

  • Director of Geo-IAC, Assistant Professor of Systems Engineering, Department of ISE, Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

    esmaei3@kennesaw.edu