Anthony Beckman named interim associate vice president for research administration

He will succeed Gunta Liders, who is retiring after supporting and expanding the University's research mission for over 20 years.

Anthony Beckman, a director of the Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA), has been named the University of Rochester's interim associate vice president for research administration, succeeding Gunta Liders, who has announced her retirement. Beckman will begin the interim position on January 1.

Beckman has been involved in sponsored projects at the University for over 20 years, serving as a research study and program project coordinator and a department administrator with clinical and research management responsibilities. He is a co-presenter for the Continuous Learning for Administrators of Sponsored Programs (CLASP) program, which was initiated by Liders, for all Rochester administrators who have functional responsibility for sponsored projects. Additionally, Beckman leads the monthly Integrated Online Research Administration (IORA) user group meetings.

Beckman has been a coauthor of several peer-reviewed publications and has authored and coauthored articles for the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) Magazine. He is a NCURA Executive Leadership Program graduate, has served as chair of the NCURA professional development committee, has presented at national conferences, and is a faculty member of the Contract Negotiation and Management traveling workshop.

During Liders' four decades of service to the institution, she has served the research community in almost every role, beginning in 1987 as a department research administrator and culminating as ORPA's leader. Through her mentorship, Liders' team has developed to be nationally recognized leaders in the field of research administration, clinical research billing compliance and export controls. Among her many accolades, Liders received the 2024 Susan B. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award.

Liders and her team have been instrumental in growing sponsored program funding from $196 million in 2000 to over $476 million in 2023. With the development of the CLASP program, she and her team have enhanced research compliance across the institution.

At the national level, Liders has been the University's primary representative to the Council of Governmental Relations, serving in several leadership positions. She has also served as secretary for the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), where she has been a peer reviewer for several years.