Mark McIntosh has been named interim vice chancellor for research, graduate studies and economic development effective immediately, [according to the MU News Bureau](http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2015/1118-mcintosh-named-interim-vice-chancellor-for-research-graduate-studies-and-economic-development/) on Wednesday, Nov. 18. He is currently a professor, chair of the department of molecular microbiology and immunology and associate vice chancellor for research and strategic initiatives.
McIntosh has held several positions since coming to MU in 1981. He became the first director of MU’s DNA Core Facility in 1987, then the director of the Research Core Facilities in 2004. He was also the director of graduate studies for the department of molecular microbiology and immunology for 14 years.
“Graduate education and research are critical components of the University of Missouri,” McIntosh said in a [news release](http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2015/1118-mcintosh-named-interim-vice-chancellor-for-research-graduate-studies-and-economic-development/). “Our graduate students provide the engine that drives our research productivity and offer fresh and creative perspectives as they assist our faculty with teaching and research every day here at MU.”
McIntosh has researched the process by which bacteria infect and cause disease in an organism, called bacterial pathogenesis. In the DNA Core Facility, he worked with the facility and MU investigators to study microorganisms and their effect on animals’ health.
He has received grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Missouri and the Missouri Life Sciences Research Board.
McIntosh received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Knox College and his doctorate in microbiology from the University of Texas-Austin. At the University of California-Berkeley, he was a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry from 1978 to 1981.
“I have the utmost confidence in Mark, and I’m very happy that he has accepted this appointment,” interim Chancellor Hank Foley said in the news release. “He has a wealth of institutional knowledge and has served in roles that provide the critical background necessary to fill this position. I’m looking forward to working with him as we move forward and continue to address issues related to our graduate students as well as increase our research productivity.”