Craig Johnson promoted to Operation Director of Research Core Facilities

Dear ORI Colleagues,     It is our pleasure to announce that Craig Johnson, Ph.D.  has been promoted to Operations Director of Research Core Facilities in the Office of Research and Innovation, effective February 1, 2021.      In 2008, Craig joined Drexel to start a transmission electron microscope program in the Centralized Research Facility, now called the Materials Characterization Core (MCC). Within a few years, his responsibilities grew to include a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope and a second transmission electron microscope. In 2017, Jon Spanier stepped down from his role as Faculty Director and Craig picked up the reins as Director of Operations. Under the guidance of Kairi Williams, Craig helped manage a transition to a new fee structure, renamed the facility and developed the MCC’s new website and helped start a faculty governance committee.      Craig came to Drexel after spending a year abroad as a post-doctoral researcher at a national lab in Toulouse, France. Prior to that, he worked at Brookhaven National Lab, Long Island, NY. Craig began his research career as a graduate student at Arizona State University. It was in ASU’s world-renowned electron microscopy core facility where Craig first encountered transmission electron microscopes, which became central to his career path. His experiences in the ASU core and in user facilities at Brookhaven and in France have informed his approach to his work at Drexel.        In his new role, Craig will work with centrally reporting cores (MCC, CIC, and URCF) to continue to enhance research opportunities, experiences and outcomes of core users. He also plans to develop the ORI relationship with the many core facilities operating in Drexel’s schools, colleges and departments by creating tools to support core administration and a Research Core Facility network to connect Drexel researchers with instrumentation and expertise across campus.     Fun facts: Craig never travels anywhere without a fly rod. He enjoys all kinds of fish but especially loves fly fishing in saltwater. His 10-year plan includes fishing for giant trevalle on a remote atoll in the Indian Ocean, rooster fish from the beach on the Baja Peninsula and tarpon off the coast of Cuba. When not chasing fish, he’s chasing his 3-year-old boy Hayes and 10-year-old step-daughter Mei.     Please join us in congratulating Craig on his new title, role and responsibilities! Aleister J. Saunders, Ph.D.Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation
Professor,  Department of Biology