Offices & People
USC Research and Innovation (OORI) is the university point of contact for submission of research proposals; identifying sources of research funding both inside and outside the university; and participation in, and initiation of, major inter-disciplinary university research programs and formation of research units.
We also provide training for pursuing major research and research funding opportunities; clearance for institutionally limited research competitions; financial disclosures and conflict of interest statements; and research ethics and handling research misconduct.
Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation
Ishwar K. Puri
Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation
Dr. Ishwar K. Puri is senior vice president of research and innovation at University of Southern California and guides the university’s research programs.
At USC, he also serves as professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, and professor of chemical engineering and material science.
He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and holds the Engineering Medal for Engineering Excellence awarded by Professional Engineers Ontario and Ontario Society of Professional Engineers.
Dr. Puri is the author of over 200 archival publications and books that have been cited over 8,500 times per Google Scholar with an H-Index of 53. He has founded and mentored startups. He is ranked among the top 2% of scientists in the world based on the citations of those who published between 1965-2019.
Prior to his appointment at University of Southern California, Dr. Puri was dean of the Faculty of Engineering and professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In Canada, he was one of eighteen members of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, an appointment made by the Governor General of Canada. He served as chair of the Canadian National Council of Deans of Engineering and Applied Science, now called Engineering Deans Canada.
Before that, he was N. Waldo Harrison professor of engineering science and mechanics (ESM) at Virginia Tech where he served as department head from 2004-13.
He served as a postdoctoral fellow and Assistant Research Engineer at the University of California, San Diego from 1987-90.
Thereafter, he was appointed as assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 1990, promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure in 1994, and to the rank of professor in 1999. He served at UIC as associate dean for research and graduate studies (2000-01) and as executive associate dean of engineering (2001-04).
Dr. Puri serves on the editorial board of Scientific Reports, a Springer Nature journal, and is an associate editor of Research, a Science partner journal.
Erica Cardoza
Special Project Manager
Associate Vice President of Research Administration
Jeri L. Muniz
Associate Vice President of Research Administration
Jeri L. Muniz is the Associate Vice President of Research Administration (AVP-RA) in the USC Office of Research and Innovation (OORI). Ms. Muniz brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role, having begun her journey in research administration while a student at the University of California, Irvine. After receiving her B.A. in Psychology, she served in key positions within the UCI Office of Research. These roles provided broad exposure to research administration, including sponsored projects administration, human and animal subjects research, conflict of interest, and research compliance. Ms. Muniz joined the Trojan Family as the Executive Director for the Department of Contracts and Grants in March 2008 and assumed responsibility for the overall management and administration of pre- and post-award non-financial services related to extramural proposals and awards. In April 2024, she was promoted to Associate Vice President of Research Administration expanding her oversight and role in supporting the USC research community.
Since assuming this role, Jeri has exhibited outstanding leadership, dedication, and a steadfast commitment to advancing research administration at USC. Her strategic perspectives and collaborative approach have become invaluable to fostering innovation and the excellence of our research administration enterprise.
As AVP-RA, Ms. Muniz is responsible for several key areas, including the Department of Contracts and Grants, Office of the Protection of Research Subjects, Department of Animal Resources, the operation of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Research Technology Services, and Office of Research Integrity. Her experience and expertise position her well to play a pivotal role in leading the OORI research administration team to ensure the robust growth and success of USC research.
Associate Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation
Steven O. Moldin
Associate Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation
Dr. Steven O. Moldin is the Associate Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation (AVP-RSI) IN the USC Office of Research and Innovation (OORI). He also has a voluntary faculty appointment as Adjunct Research Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Dr. Moldin’s tenure at USC has spanned nearly two decades. Joining USC in 2006 as the inaugural executive director of the Office of Research Advancement based in Washington, D.C., Dr. Moldin and his team facilitated the submission of over 1,000 proposals to federal funding agencies, of which over 300 were successfully funded for nearly $1 billion. As AVP-RSI, he oversees the re-imaging of OORI’s internal funding program and the Alfred E. Mann Institute, as well as the successful recruitment of a new executive director for the USC Stevens Center for Innovation.
Dr. Moldin’s career and accomplishments in academia and research go beyond his time at USC. He holds a B.A. in Psychology (Magna Cum Laude with Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa) from Boston University, an M.A. in Psychology from Yeshiva University, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yeshiva University. He conducted research at New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, completed a clinical internship at Hillside Hospital / Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and completed both a postdoctoral fellowship in human genetics and assumed a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In 1995, Dr. Moldin joined the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health, where he led the Office of Human Genetics and Genomic Resources and served as associate director of the Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science. Dr. Moldin was responsible for the fiscal and scientific management of an annual portfolio of over $200 million in extramural funding.
As AVP-RSI, Dr. Moldin is responsible for managing the strategic development and alignment of internal funding programs and all scientific incubator, commercialization, and technology transfer activities. Dr. Moldin is the primary driver of the strategic development of USC’s growing sponsored research enterprise, setting the stage for the continued innovative contributions of the university at a local, state, and national level. Dr. Moldin also plays a critical strategic role in developing and advancing USC’s research and commercialization activities.
Alfred E. Mann Institute
The Alfred E. Mann Institute (USC AMI) bridges the gap between biomedical innovation and the creation of commercially successful medical products.
Department of Animal Resources
The Department of Animal Resources (DAR) provides and ensures appropriate care in all aspects of USC animal research.
Ari Aycock-Williams
Executive Director
Dr. Ari Aycock-Williams has always enjoyed working with animals in multiple capacities. She put this joy to work after earning a B.S. in Biopsychology and the Cognitive Sciences from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan and then obtaining a D.V.M. from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in East Lansing, Michigan. She then trained to specialize in Laboratory Animal Medicine through the combined residency at the University of Southern California and City of Hope in Duarte, California. She is board certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.
Dr. Aycock-Williams first joined USC in 2009 and has served in various roles supporting research, including Clinical Veterinarian, Senior Clinical Veterinarian, and Associate Director. She has implemented didactic animal training programs, enhanced surgical veterinary care and support for various projects, and provided regulatory guidance to continue USC’s accreditation. She is also a member of several committees that frame USC’s commitment to service. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, a member of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science, American Association of Laboratory Animal Practitioners, and the American Veterinary Medical Association. In her free-time she enjoys traveling with her husband, cycling, running, and cuddling her Beagle/Shar-Pei/Chihuahua mix.
Department of Contracts and Grants
The Department of Contracts and Grants (DCG) supports USC’s investigators from proposal development to award closeout, ensuring that USC’s sponsored project agreements are consistent with university standards for academic freedom, research ethics, and fiscal responsibility. DCG staff support the development and comprehensive review of proposals, skillfully negotiate externally sponsored awards, and serve as the primary points of contact and Authorized Institutional Officials in communications with research sponsors and regulatory agencies. DCG has primary responsibility for the interpretation of University-wide and campus policy, sponsor guidelines, and applicable federal and state laws and regulations related to sponsored projects. DCG also executes all outgoing subawards issued under sponsored projects agreements.
Jeri L. Muniz
Associate Vice President of Research Administration (AVP-RA)
Ms. Muniz, in her role as AVP-RA, provides strategic oversight and leadership for research administration, including the Department of Contracts and Grants (DCG), Office of the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS), Department of Animal Resources (DAR), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Research Technology Services (RTS), and Office of Research Integrity (ORI). She works to streamline and integrate research administration processes and systems to meet Research and Innovation goals to:
- Improve service to faculty researchers and reduce their administrative workload
- Increase operational efficiencies
- Improve institutional and regulatory compliance
Ms. Muniz began working in the field of research administration as a student at the University of California, Irvine. During her tenure at UCI, she held a number of roles in research administration: Grants Officer, Contracts Officer, Trainer, Conflict of Interest Administrator, Assistant Director and Director, Sponsored Projects. Ms. Muniz joined the Trojan Family as the Executive Director for the Department of Contracts and Grants in March 2008 and assumed responsibility for the overall management and administration of pre- and post-award non-financial services related to extramural proposals and awards. In April 2024, she was promoted to Associate Vice President of Research Administration expanding her oversight and role in supporting the USC research community.
Department of Contracts and Grants
DCG Staff Directory
Human Research Protection Program
USC’s Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) develops program-wide policies for the conduct and review of human subjects research at USC, provides education and training, and oversees the Institutional Review Boards (IRB), which review projects involving human subjects research.
Human Research Protection Program
HRPP Staff Directory
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees USC’s animal programs, animal facilities, and policies ensuring appropriate care, ethical use and humane treatment of animals.
Don Casebolt
IACUC Chair
Donald B. Casebolt is Chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pathology at USC. He was formerly Executive Director of the USC Department of Animal Resources, a position which he held for 24 years.
Dr. Casebolt received his BS in Animal Science, Masters of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from the University of California, Davis. He completed a National Institutes of Health fellowship in laboratory animal medicine and comparative medicine and is board certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. He has extensive experience in clinical veterinary care, preventive medicine, research support, and administration of animal care programs at academic research institutions in the United States and Canada. He serves as member of the AAALAC International Council on Accreditation and is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Society for Biomedical Research.
Research Initiatives and Infrastructure
The Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) advocates for faculty research interests and supports faculty-led research across the university, including faculty mentoring and development and training through the Center for Excellence in Research. Additionally, RII has oversight of internal award programs, limited submissions, as well as core facilities/shared resources invoicing.
Silvia da Costa
Director
Dr. da Costa received her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Southern California. Her research focused on cytoskeletal filament system regulation of membrane traffic and development of a disease model for Sjögren’s syndrome. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in Physics, French and Journalism, is a native speaker of English and Portuguese, and has working knowledge of Spanish, French and Italian.
Dr. da Costa serves as Director of Research Initiatives and Infrastructure, as well as Diversity Officer for Research and Innovation and is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Mann School of Pharmacy. Previously, she worked as a Research Scientist for Access Business Group, investigating the efficacy and safety of medicinal plants for use in therapeutic product development. She holds various product patents.
Research Initiatives and Infrastructure advocates for faculty research interests and supports faculty-led research across the university including faculty mentoring, development and training, through the Center for Excellence in Research (CER). Additionally, RII has oversight of internal USC-funded grants, awards, and research funding as well as core facilities/shared resources invoicing.
Melody Pham
Program Administrator
Araceli Roach
Public Communications Coordinator
Amy Wood
Project Assistant
Michael Yarsky
Program Specialist
Research Integrity
The mission of Research Integrity (ORI) is to foster a culture of integrity within the entire USC research community. The office works at university, school, and department levels to educate faculty, staff, trainees and students about responsible conduct in research and laboratory practices.
Dr. W. Martin Kast
Research Integrity Officer
Dr. W. Martin Kast brings extensive experience to the Research Integrity Officer role, having served as the Associate Dean of Academic Integrity at the Keck School of Medicine since 2016 and as Chair of the USC Research Integrity Committee since 2021.
He holds a PhD in Medicine from the University of Amsterdam and will continue his role as a Professor at the USC Keck School of Medicine, where he specializes in Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Urology, and Otolaryngology. Additionally, Dr. Kast serves as the Program Director for the Infectious Diseases, Immunology, and Pathogenesis PhD Graduate Program.
Dr. Kast has been with USC since 2003 and holds the Walter A. Richter Chair in Cancer Research at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is a Co-leader of the Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment Program and Director of the K-12 Cancer Education Program for Underrepresented Minorities.
His research has resulted in nearly 300 peer-reviewed publications, cited in almost 30,000 other works, and he holds 18 patents. His research primarily focuses on Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for cervical and throat cancers, with several of his laboratory discoveries being tested in clinical trials.
Research Strategy and Development
The Research Strategy and Development (RSD), formed in 2006, is a service resource for USC that strategically pursues competitive federal funding opportunities with a targeted focus on large, multidisciplinary research endeavors.
Steven O. Moldin
Associate Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation (AVP-RSI)
Dr. Moldin, in his role as AVP-RSI, provides strategic oversight and leadership for research strategy and innovation, including the Office of Research Advancement (ORA), Stevens Center for Innovation, Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII), and Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering (AMI-USC).
Dr. Moldin received his B.A. magna cum laude with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa in Psychology from Boston University, his M.A. in Psychology from Yeshiva University, and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yeshiva University. He conducted research at New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University and was on faculty at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In 1995, Dr. Moldin joined the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health. He led the Office of Human Genetics and Genomic Resources and served as Associate Director of the Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science. Dr. Moldin was responsible for the fiscal and scientific management of a $200 million extramural grants and contracts portfolio. Dr. Moldin has published over 50 papers, including articles in Nature Genetics and the Journal of Neuroscience, as well as book chapters in the areas of psychiatric genetics, schizophrenia, autism, and neuroscience. He is co-editor of the books Methods in Genomic Neuroscience and Understanding Autism: From Basic Neuroscience to Treatment.
Research Technology Services
Research Technology Services (RTS) maintains and supports the following systems: diSClose and iStar. diSClose is used for managing conflicts of interest and iStar is used by research involving human subjects, animals, biohazardous substances and radioactive substances or emitting devices.
Martin Koning-Bastiaan
Director
Martin Koning-Bastiaan is responsible for the iStar research regulatory system and the diSClose conflicts of interest system. These systems support research compliance for several regulatory committees, including the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) at USC and CHLA; the conflicts of interest in research committees at USC and CHLA; the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at USC; and the Biosafety and Radiation Safety committees at USC. He has been at USC since 2006.
Prior to his current position at USC, he worked as Director of Technology for MERLOT, an international consortium of universities collaborating on the use of online educational resources, originating out of the California State University system. Martin was responsible for the design and implementation of the MERLOT system. He began his technical career as a research scientist in Apple’s Advanced Technology Group in 1997. Martin holds a Master’s degree in Educational Theory from Stanford University and is currently working on a doctorate in Regulatory Science at USC.
Johnson Kwong
Programmer Analyst IV
Jerry To
Programmer Analyst II
Mario Sotelo
Programmer Analyst II
Sydney Chang
Programmer Analyst I
USC Stevens Center for Innovation
As the technology licensing office for the University of Southern California, the Stevens Center for Innovation plays a key role in Southern California’s innovation ecosystem.
Erin Overstreet
Executive Director
Dr. Overstreet holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin in molecular and cellular biology. Dr. Overstreet has over 16 years of experience working with early-stage technologies and companies, having held prior roles at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Texas, Austin, among others. She has licensed over 200 technologies and assisted over 40 startups in their journey to spin out from universities, which have collectively been financed by VCs to over $500 million, with 3 IPOs. Dr. Overstreet has broad experience in evaluating early-stage technologies, refining and protecting key IP, marketing to industry partners, and negotiating deals that mature the technology, satisfy stakeholders, and ultimately lead to commercialization. Most recently, Dr. Overstreet was Head of Corporate Strategy at a cancer immune-oncology company, Delta TpX, where she gained first-hand operational experience in forming and financing early-stage companies.