Dr. Joseph Whittaker has been named associate provost for Academic Affairs. Before arriving at JSU, he served as a tenured professor of biology at Morgan State University (MSU) and associate director of the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Technology & Research Program. As a dean at MSU in the School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Whittaker led initiatives to strengthen the School’s academic and research capabilities through the development of new academic programs, improvements in faculty profile, and building national & international collaborations.
He also led efforts in winning historical levels of awards and grants, which enhanced academic and research standards. He is a past president of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society and served on numerous committees, including the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation, Scientific and Technical Review Board at the National Institutes of Health. He holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from MSU; a doctorate of philosophy in physiology and biophysics from Howard University, and was a postdoctoral fellow in neurobiology at University of Tennessee in Memphis.