Jennifer K. Lodge, PhD, vice chancellor for research at Washington University in St. Louis and the David T. Blasingame Professor, will leave the university at the end of the year. Lodge will be joining Duke University as vice president for research and innovation in January.
“Dr. Lodge has served Washington University during extraordinary times, providing outstanding leadership of the university’s research mission before and during the pandemic,” said Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. “Her dedication and experience have helped our faculty guide their research labs through an unprecedented period and through much uncertainty. I’m grateful to Jenny Lodge for her countless contributions to Washington University, which will continue to have a major impact on our institution. I wish her the very best as she embarks on her next chapter.”
Lodge, also the senior associate dean for research at the School of Medicine, has led the massive research infrastructure across Washington University for seven years. Most recently, she has focused considerable effort on navigating the unprecedented circumstances and pressures the COVID-19 pandemic has placed upon the university’s research community.
When Lodge leaves at the end of the year, Mark E. Lowe, MD, PhD, the Harvey R. Colten Professor of Pediatric Science, will serve as the interim vice chancellor for research. He also will serve as the interim associate dean for research at the School of Medicine.
“We are grateful for Dr. Lodge’s leadership and wise navigation of the pandemic, helping to keep the essential research services up and running, and guiding our faculty members in keeping their lab members safe and productive under such difficult circumstances,” said David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. “Research is essential to what we do at the School of Medicine and across the university, and we are thankful to have had such competent experience at the helm at a time when that was especially important. We were able to necessarily pause and then continue to pursue our vital research mission, most notably key research into COVID-19 itself, in large part because of the tireless work of Dr. Lodge and her team. She has played a key role in planning and execution of the exceptional research expansion of the medical school over the last several years. I wish her continued success in her future endeavors.”
Lodge was appointed vice chancellor in July 2014 and has held a dual role; she also serves as senior associate dean for research at the School of Medicine, where she is also a professor of molecular microbiology. She was named senior associate dean in 2009. Lodge has been the chief officer responsible for the university’s research mission, overseeing more than $600 million in annual sponsored research and managing the development of research policies, grants and contracts, and the continuing education of faculty and staff regarding research regulations.
“We are grateful to Dr. Lodge for her years of service to Washington University and her contributions to the continued excellence of our research labs across the university,” said Beverly Wendland, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Washington University. “She has left a legacy of resilience, demonstrating how the university can adjust and then continue in its research mission even in times of tremendous uncertainty. And as we strive to advance academic distinction as a key component of the university’s strategic plan, our ability to collaborate and expand the research enterprise has been a major contribution of Jenny’s — our outstanding Research Development Office is but one of many examples of her leadership and vision. She will be greatly missed.”