University of Iowa names new VP for research, economic development

University of Iowa officials on Tuesday named a Microsoft executive as the new vice president for research and economic development.

Daniel Reed, 55, will start at the UI on Oct. 15 at a salary of$345,000, pending approval this week by the state Board of Regents. He succeeds Jordan Cohen, who has served as vice president for research and economic development since 2010. Reed visited the UI campus in May as one of three finalists for the position.

Reed joined Microsoft Corp. in 2007 and most recently served as a corporate vice president, reporting to the company's chief research and strategy officer. As corporate vice president for extreme computing, Reed built and led research and prototyping on cloud and parallel computing. He later led Microsoft's global technology policy group, helping foster dialog on the influence of technology on societal issues and government policy.

“He brings a suite of attributes fundamental to the position - a background in business and economic development, a career in research and scholarship, and a trained eye toward innovation as it pertains to higher education and its public relevance and impact," UI President Sally Mason said in a statement.

Reed earned his doctorate at Purdue University in 1983 and went on to work in faculty positions at the University of North Carolina and the University of Illinois, where he was computer science department head from 1996 to 2001 .

In 2004, Reed was named the director of the Renaissance Computing Institute, a major collaborative venture of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the state of North Carolina, supported by $12 million in annual state funding.