Collis Geren serves as Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Arkansas (UofA). Collis reports to the Provost and is the chief research officer for the University. As vice provost, he is responsible for assisting University personnel in obtaining funding for their scholarship, then initiating the management once awards are made. He is also responsible for the management of the University’s intellectual property. As dean of the graduate school, Collis is responsible for the quality of the graduate academic programs as well as the quality and quantity of graduate students. The University of Arkansas Press, the Survey Research Center, and the Arkansas Biotechnology Center report to Collis as do the interdisciplinary Ph.D. Programs in Photonics and Electronic Materials, Public Policy, and Cell and Molecular Biology.

Prior to joining the Department of Chemistry at the UofA in 1976, Collis served as a Research Associate in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Kansas Medical Center (1974-76) in Kansas City. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1979, and Professor in 1984. He served as Vice Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1986 and 1987 and as Chair from 1987 through most of 1991. From October 15, 1990 through June 30, 1991, he served as the first interim chair of the newly created Department of Biological Sciences. Collis has served as Dean of the Graduate School since December of 1991 and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research from December 1991, through June 30, 2001. As of July 1, 2001, his title is Vice Provost for Research.

Collis’ Ph.D. (1974) is in Biochemistry from Oklahoma State University while his M.S. in Chemistry (1972) is from the Kansas State College of Pittsburg. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Education (1967) from Northeastern Oklahoma State University. Collis is a native of Oklahoma, but with many Arkansas relatives. His research interests in the structure and function of biological toxins continue. He was the first Arkansas recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health in 1979. He received the 1986 Distinguished Alumni Award in Teaching and Research.
Collis was elected Chair of the Campus Faculty in 1991. He has served and continues to serve in a variety of roles with the various Experimental Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoRs) for which Arkansas qualifies. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Arkansas EPSCoR Committee.

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