Buhler takes on assistant vice president role full time, steps down as AgBioResearch lead

September 16, 2021

Doug Buhler will be stepping down as director of MSU AgBioResearch to serve in a full-time position as MSU Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation.

Doug Buhler will be stepping down as director of MSU AgBioResearch to serve in a full-time position as MSU Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation, a role he serves in part-time. He will continue to work in the food, agriculture and natural resources research space maintaining many current activities while expanding work at the university level.

Buhler will remain as director until a successor is named through an internal search. That search will begin immediately.

“I am grateful to Doug for his work, dedication and leadership over the years in our critically important research endeavors,” said Interim Dean Kelly Millenbah. “As director of MSU AgBioResearch since 2013, he knows Michigan’s agricultural research industry well and will bring those insights forward for the benefit of all.”

As director of MSU AgBioResearch, Buhler has served as the administrative lead of a group of more than 350 researchers from eight MSU colleges—and a network of 14 research centers across the state with a total annual budget of over $120 million. MSU AgBioResearch engages in research that combines scientific expertise with practical experience to generate economic prosperity, sustain natural resources and enhance the quality of life.

“Doug has been a valuable member of our leadership team in his dual role as assistant vice president (AVP) and director of AgBioResearch,” said Doug Gage, MSU vice president for research and innovation. “His deep knowledge of agricultural policy and research, well-established relationships with federal and state funding agencies, and oversight experience with large scale projects, including international research programs, will be a tremendous asset as we work to grow our research expenditures and complete our aggressive strategic plan goals, in a full time role.”