Our Team

As Vice President for Economic Development and Innovation at University of Illinois System, Walsh works with the president to drive initiatives that support the economic development mission of the system’s universities. In this role, he collaborates with leadership across the universities, which have a nearly $1 billion portfolio of sponsored research, and with the leadership of Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and Illinois Innovation Network (IIN).

As Northwestern University's vice president for research, Jay Walsh oversaw a multifaceted administrative team responsible for supporting the institutional research ecosystem. He also directed the development and implementation of University-wide, research-related strategic plans through leadership support for programs including the Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs); and the Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering (NAISE). Under Walsh's leadership, the Northwestern | RESEARCH team made significant contributions to the development and support of Northwestern's core research facilities and the 50+ University Research Institutes and Centers, including the Institute for Policy Research, the Buffett Institute for Global Studies, the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, the International Institute for Nanotechnology, and the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern. Additionally, Walsh has championed global impact programs, such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship-Young African Leadership Initiative and the program on Equality Development and Global Studies.