Presenter
Robert Nobles, DrPH, MPH
Vice President for Research Administration
Emory University
Bio
Dr. Robert Nobles (DrPH, MPH) serves as the Vice President for Research Administration at Emory University. Within Emory Nobles leads the research administrative and compliance departments including Clinical Research, Environmental Health and Safety, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Review Board, Research Administration – IT, Research Administration Services, Research Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Research Grants and Contracts, Sponsored Programs, Strategic Operations and Training and Technology Transfer with more than 450 team members providing outstanding services that catalyze research and operational excellence. Daily, Nobles and team are responsible for providing the foundation for the research growth that Emory continues to experience while pursuing discovery. As an example of scope, in fiscal year 2022, Emory received nearly $945 million in total research funding awards.
As the Vice President for Research Administration, Nobles promotes Emory’s research growth through oversight and execution of a strategic direction and effective operations for research across Emory. Nobles works in tandem with senior leaders and faculty to ensure proactive, user-focused customer service; effective, metric-driven processes; and transparent communication, to further new and on-going research initiatives that comply with all regulatory requirements. Nobles also fosters the scholarly work of faculty, facilitates multidisciplinary initiatives, supports innovative technology-transfer and commercialization programs, and strives to increase funding support from all sources, while nurturing positive external relationships.
Nationally, Nobles serves as the Vice Chairperson on Board of Directors for Public Responsibility for Medicine & Research (PRIM&R), the Executive Committee for the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), and a member of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advisory Committee for Business and Operations (Committee).
Prior to joining Emory University, Nobles served as the interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, (UTK) with a faculty appointment in the Department of Public Health within the College of Education, Health, & Human Sciences. While at UTK, Nobles led efforts and oversaw research growth and compliance activities related to a UTK's quest to become a top 25 public research institution. Nobles also served as a sub-investigator on more than 10 community- based research projects focusing on adolescent health, and chaired national and local committees focusing on enhancing research culture. Before UTK, Nobles served as the research compliance officer and public health faculty member at both Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. In the public sector, Nobles served as a public health prevention specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and as a program manager for the state of Florida’s Department of Public Health.
Nobles completed his Doctor of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston with a triple major that included health policy & management, epidemiology, and health economics; and he received his master's in Public Health specializing in epidemiology, and a bachelor's degree in molecular biology from Florida A&M University. Nobles is an avid educator and has taught on the collegiate level since 2001 in the areas of environmental biology, anatomy and physiology, public administration, health policy and management, health care finance, ethics, epidemiology, and responsible conduct of research.
Committees
PRIM&R Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Vice Chair 2022-2023
Executive Committee for the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)
National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advisory Committee for Business and Operations (Committee).