Research Division Directors

The Office of the Vice President for Research Divisions span the spectrum from specialized research facilities to research support. The office is dedicated to partnering with faculty, staff, students, and outside investigators to assure that research conducted at CSU is of the highest quality and scientific integrity, and embodies the spirit of the land-grant university that is our heritage.

Rebecca Moritz

Rebecca Moritz, Biosafety Director and Director of the Office of Research Collaboration and Compliance

Phone: (970) 491-3950
Email: [email protected]

Rebecca Moritz serves as the biosafety director, director of the Office of Research Collaboration and Compliance, and responsible official at CSU supporting life sciences research. Moritz has conducted research across private sectors and academic laboratories. She currently serves as the president for the American Biological Safety Association International, where she facilitates the exchange of biosafety information across multiple sectors and supports the biosafety profession. Previously, she served as the University of Wisconsin-Madison Select Agent Program’s responsible official. Moritz was also the chair of UW-Madison’s Dual Use Research of Concern Subcommittee, the institutional contact for dual use research, and acted as a lead member of the UW-Madison Biosecurity Task Force. She is a certified biosafety professional and a specialist microbiologist with the national registry of certified microbiologists. She earned both her bachelor’s degree in bacteriology and master’s degree in medical microbiology and immunology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Lon Kendall

Lon Kendall, Director of Laboratory Animal Resources

Phone: (970) 491-5903
Email: [email protected]

Dr. Lon Kendall is a board-certified laboratory animal veterinary and advances CSU’s reputation as a leader in research animal welfare. His research interests include host immune response to infectious diseases, science-based standards for laboratory animal care and pain management for laboratory rodents. Kendall serves on the CSU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and supports the Comparative Medicine Training Program, which enrolls four post-DVM trainees. He is also a member of several national laboratory animal associations and a consultant for AAALAC International. Kendall gained substantial experience at UC Davis serving in various capacities including associate director of the Comparative Pathology Laboratory, director of the Center for Laboratory Animal Science and campus veterinarian. In 2008 he returned to Colorado State University as the associate director for LAR and become the director in 2011. He holds a doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from CSU and a Ph.D. in veterinary pathobiology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. 

dinaida egan

Dinaida Egan, Associate Director of the Research Acceleration Office

Phone: (970) 491-2448
Email: [email protected]

Dinaida Egan leads proposal development and limited submission program activities, providing advanced research development and project management expertise in support of complex, strategic, interdisciplinary, or limited submission proposals, programs and initiatives. Her background in scientific research and research program management includes 14 years in the CSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, where she studied gene regulation, chromatin structure and function, biophysical characterization and purification of protein complexes, and leukemogenesis utilizing the Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus 1 model system. She has dual degrees in biochemistry and molecular, cellular and developmental biology and women’s studies from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Wiley Barnes, Executive Director of the Office of Defense Engagement

Phone: (970) 491-1843
Email: [email protected]

Wiley Barnes is the executive director of the Office of Defense Engagement. Barnes is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, with nearly 25 years as an intelligence officer and military strategist. Before joining CSU, he served as vice president of National Security at eSimplicity Inc., partnered with Palantir Technologies, supporting the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force on a digital data contract. While on active duty, Barnes served in a variety of operations, planning, policy and training roles in the U.S., Middle East and Europe, including national defense fellow at the Atlantic Council, chief of intelligence operations at U.S. European Command, and vice president of the Defense Language Institute. Barnes provides national security advice to the CSU enterprise and builds CSU relationships across the national security community. Barnes’ vision is to establish CSU as an indispensable partner in research, education and service in the national security community. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and master’s degrees from Webster University, the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies and The George Washington University. 

Grant Calhoun, Director of the Office of Industry Research Contracting

Phone: (970) 491-0288
Email: [email protected]

As director of the Office of Industry Research Contracting, Grant Calhoun develops and negotiates strategic research and collaboration agreements with key industry partners. Conducting outreach and building relationships, his office serves as a key link between researchers and industry sponsors to support cutting edge research and enable broader engagement across the university. He manages new and ongoing industry relationships with a focus on research growth and creation of intellectual property with opportunities for commercialization. Calhoun works with faculty and departments to develop approaches for industry work across the broader research spectrum, from fundamental science to applied research with proprietary technologies. Previously, he served in the Office of the General Counsel as associate legal counsel and director of contracting services. Calhoun earned his J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and his B.A. from Dartmouth College. 

Alyson Rome

Alyson Rome, Director of Strategic Financial Planning and Resource Management

Email: [email protected]

Alyson Rome leads strategic financial planning and resource management for the Office of the Vice President for Research. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and non-profit finance and administration including human resources, budgeting, accounting, purchasing, grants and contracts. Rome served as the vice president of finance and administration at a local non-profit organization and as the director of fiscal services at Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus. She earned an associate degree in computer information systems and a bachelor’s degree in money and banking from Kansas State University, and she holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

Doug Leavell

Doug Leavell, Director of Research Analytics

Phone: (970) 491-2364

Email: [email protected]

Doug Leavell serves as the director of research analytics for the Office of the Vice President for Research. Leavell provides analysis support for the university’s administrators and faculty including proposal and award productivity metrics, expenditure data, publication searches and financial reporting. He has worked in research administration at major research institutions for more than 23 years, implementing enterprise resource planning accounting systems and negotiating specialized service rates. Leavell’s 17 years of industry experience includes extensive involvement in process improvement and cost and financial accounting in high technology manufacturing environments. He also spent more than eight years as an adjunct faculty member teaching a variety of accounting courses. Leavell is a certified public accountant and earned a certificate in grants management and a Green Belt in Six Sigma practices. He holds a master’s degree in finance and economics from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from McKendree University.