Dear Drexel Research Community,
I’m delighted to introduce Dr. Sarah Archibald as the Office of Research & Innovation’s new Associate Vice Provost for Research Compliance & Regulatory Affairs!
Sarah has extensive research compliance experience, with more than 20 years of leadership in higher education, overseeing complex ethics and regulatory programs across research, civil rights, and academic environments. She has coordinated cross-functional compliance initiatives, implemented enterprise-wide auditing protocols, and fostered university cultures grounded in accountability and ethical decision-making.
She is recognized for her expertise in designing and executing comprehensive compliance programs, developing institutional frameworks for risk mitigation and federal compliance, training investigators and stakeholders in ethical conduct and regulatory policy, and interfacing with federal agencies, external auditors, and governance boards, among many other accomplishments.
Most recently, Sarah served as Executive Director of the Human Research Protections Office at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she led strategic planning and accreditation activities for ethical human subjects research. Prior to that position, she held the roles of Director of Auditing, Monitoring, and Investigations as well as Research Integrity Officer, advising senior leadership, directing remediation efforts, and aligning policy development with evolving federal mandates.
In her new role in the Drexel University Office of Research & Innovation, Sarah will provide enterprise-wide oversight to prevent, identify, respond to, mitigate, and monitor research compliance. She will also serve as a liaison between the Office of Research & Innovation and faculty and staff on matters related to research compliance, including human research protections, animal use and care programs, export control, research security, research integrity, responsible conduct of research, research conflicts of interest, Institutional Review Boards (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), and related regulatory requirements.
Sarah’s first day is today, Monday, February 9, stepping into Cassie Myers’ former role. She will play a pivotal part in the Novelution implementation and in integrating research compliance activities into a comprehensive, institution-wide research compliance program that will help expand the impact of Drexel’s research enterprise.
Please join us in welcoming Sarah! We are thrilled to have such an outstanding addition to our team.
Thank you,
Aleister Saunders
Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation