Physicist will focus on defense-related activity
Dr. Tony Caruso, Professor of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, has been named to a new administrative post where he will focus on defense-related research.
Caruso has accepted a part-time administrative appointment within UMKC’s Office of Research Services as an Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research, starting September 1. In this role, he will be focused on developing existing and new research efforts, as well as strategic partnerships in the areas of defense, intelligence and advanced materials and instrumentation. He will become part of the Office of Research team reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, Dr. Lawrence Dreyfus.
An expert in atomic physics, Caruso has a strong, long-standing record of federal research support from the Department of Defense and, in particular, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). He will work to leverage UMKC expertise with specific Department of Defense and Department of Energy needs.
“With a variety of research strengths across multiple departments and various academic units at UMKC, as well as within the other three University of Missouri System campuses, UMKC is working to become a catalyst driving collaboration in the defense-related research sector,” Dreyfus said. “Tony Caruso is an outstanding scientist and researcher and has become an invaluable asset to UMKC and our efforts to further develop new research opportunities for our faculty, particularly in the areas of the natural, physical, and applied sciences. We are fortunate to have Tony on board and I look forward to working closely with him in his new research support role.”
Caruso will continue to serve in his academic role within the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics; and will have a joint appointment in the School of Computing and Engineering, where he will assist in coordinating defense-related research collaborative efforts.