Vice President For Research - Biography

Dr. Kevin Gardner is the Vice President for Research at Stony Brook University where he
oversees the University’s research, innovation, and economic development functions. Stony
Brook has a broad and diverse research enterprise and is a key partner in the economic
development of Long Island and New York State. Dr. Gardner has extensive leadership
experience in building and sustaining collaborations among universities, industries, regional
government and Federal agencies that support science and technology, education, and economic
development. Stony Brook University has a long tradition of getting new ideas out of the lab and
into the world in partnership with the private and public sectors and as new ventures and Gardner
is passionate about the role that knowledge creation can play in helping to solve problems and
improve our world. In his research he has led several large multi-investigator research studies.
He has been PI or Co-PI on over $60 million in awards, published over 100 refereed journal
papers and directed over 40 graduate students.

Prior to coming to Stony Brook, Dr. Gardner served as the University of Louisville’s executive
vice president for research and innovation from 2020 to 2024. Gardner oversaw the university’s
research enterprise, including industry engagement, innovation, entrepreneurship and the
translation of university discoveries to their greatest societal impact.

Dr. Gardner is a professor of civil engineering. Throughout his academic career his research
focused on environmental engineering and science, contaminant behavior in the aquatic
environment, contaminant release in post-industrial byproducts and wastes, and interdisciplinary
sustainability science and engineering. His work focused on mitigating human impact on the
natural world and collaborating with the many disciplines and public and private organizations
needed to understand problems and develop solutions. Before arriving at UofL in 2020, Gardner
spent 20 years at the University of New Hampshire as professor of civil and environmental
engineering, center director and ten years in central research leadership, first as director of
strategic initiatives and later as vice provost for research.