Dear Colleagues:
I want to express my appreciation to everyone who participated in the on-campus interviews for the finalists for UCF’s next Vice President for Research and Innovation. The search process produced four strong candidates, each with unique perspectives on how UCF could achieve the research goals set forth in our strategic plan. While we deeply value the time, experience, and expertise of each candidate, we have concluded there is much work to be done within our research enterprise that will require a deep understanding of our current operations and investment in the organization to propel us forward.
It is with great pleasure that I announce Dr. Winston Schoenfeld will continue to serve as the long-term Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of Central Florida through at least December 2024. Dr. Schoenfeld is an esteemed and respected member of our community, and we are confident that he is the right leader to help UCF realize its scholarship goals while also providing the oversight needed to reduce the administrative demands on our faculty. During this time, we will be working to ensure our research enterprise enables our aspirations to be a leading university for innovative research and creative works, and a partner of choice for industry that accelerates economic development in our region.
We have entrusted Dr. Schoenfeld with building a robust leadership team within the Office of Research, drawing upon the expertise of our talented faculty and staff. This team will enable UCF to strategically invest in the areas of focus highlighted in our Unleashing Potential Strategic Plan, which includes enhancing the infrastructure necessary to support our research aspirations by investing in faculty, staff, and facilities that align with our research objectives.
We are grateful for Dr. Schoenfeld’s unwavering dedication and commitment to advancing research and innovation at UCF, and thankful for his interest in continuing to provide leadership in this crucial role. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Schoenfeld on this appointment.
About Dr. Schoenfeld
Dr. Schoenfeld is a Professor of Optics, Materials Science and Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCF. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2000 and holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida.
Before joining UCF in 2004, Dr. Schoenfeld served as Device Manager at Uniroyal Optoelectronics, working in the area of high-brightness, light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In 2003, he founded Medical Lighting Solutions, Inc., a supplier of specialty LED lighting solutions for the medical and biomedical industries. From 2011 to 2017, he served as Director of the c-Si Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium (PVMC) at UCF, establishing the first industry-led U.S. c-Si PV consortium and overseeing more than $10 million in collaborative research projects between consortium members.
At UCF, Dr. Schoenfeld has secured more than $24 million in research funding and authored or co-authored over 140 refereed journal publications in areas such as photovoltaics, epitaxial growth and properties of oxide semiconductors, oxide and nitride-semiconductor light-emitting diodes, self-assembled quantum dots, e-beam nano-lithography, quantum information/networks, comprehensive modeling of nanowire devices, and solid-state nuclear material detection. He is a Fellow of SPIE and a life member of the Optical Society of America (OSA).
