Extramural research is vital to the University of the District of Columbia’s mission as a land-grant, HBCU institution. Sponsored programs have the potential to advance and enhance education, discovery, and service activities toward the University’s vision of being the District of Columbia’s preeminent, public, land-grant, research institution, while serving the people of Washington, D.C., and the Nation.
Through grants, contracts, and other agreements, the University obtains resources that aid and accelerate the accomplishment of the University’s goals, by providing an outstanding 21st Century education to our students; fostering the achievements and recognition of faculty, staff, and students while driving the sustainability and economic development of the District of Columbia and the region. In this pursuit, the University seeks to increase its extramural research portfolio considerably and engage faculty members and students in innovative and sustainable research in the spirit of the Equity Imperative.
The Office of University Research is headed by the Vice President of Research.
Victor R. McCrary, Jr.
Physical Chemistry
B.A., The Catholic University of America, 1978, Chemistry
M.S., University of Pennsylvania, 1995, Engineering
Ph.D., Howard University, 1985 Chemistry
Dr. Victor R. McCrary serves as the Vice President for Research and Professor of Chemistry at the University of the District of Columbia. Previously, he was Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the inaugural Vice President for Research and Economic Development, and Professor of Chemistry at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. Prior to that, Dr. McCrary was the Business Area Executive for Science and Technology and principal professional staff at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory where he directed internal research and development (IRAD) funding to develop new core competencies and innovations in the areas of national security and space technologies for civilian and military applications.
He started his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories-Murray Hill, as a post-doc and then a member of technical staff before being tapped to be a program manager with the Advanced Technology Program and becoming the first Chief of the Convergent Information Systems Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At NIST, Dr. McCrary led the first efforts to develop industry standards for electronic books where he was a co-recipient of the US Department of Commerce’s Gold Medal for his efforts. He is a former national president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.
Dr. McCrary served the National Science Board (NSB) class of 2016 – 2022 and was reappointed to the class of 2022 – 2028.