Harriot College Announces Dr. Keith Keene as Associate Dean for Research

Dr. Keith Keene has been selected as the new associate dean for research for East Carolina University’s Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.

Keene, professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, will assume the role Aug. 1, according to an announcement from Dr. Allison S. Danell, dean of Harriot College.

“I am so pleased that Dr. Keene is joining the Harriot College Dean’s Office, ” Danell said. “I have the utmost confidence in his abilities to excel in this ADR role, thanks to his extensive positional leadership experience and his deep connection to the mission of ECU.”

Keene is no stranger to ECU or Harriot College. In 2012, he came to ECU through a joint appointment between Harriot College’s Department of Biology and ECU’s Center for Health Disparities. He became director of the center in 2018.

Effective Aug. 1, Dr. Keith Keene will become associate dean for research in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)

“I am excited to return to ECU and Harriot College in particular — my tenure home for nearly 11 years — where I advanced through the ranks from assistant to associate and full professor,” he said. “I am enthusiastic about the new challenge to grow the Harriot College research portfolio and build strong collaborations across a wide range of disciplines represented across the college and the university.”

Through the position, Keene will carry out several strategic leadership duties including:

• Mentoring and supporting faculty in the development and achievement of research and creative activity goals;
• Guiding faculty in their pursuit of extramural support for discipline-based, creative, community-engaged scholarship;
• Fostering engaging, collaborative and interdisciplinary scholarly opportunities for the faculty across Harriot College and ECU; and
• Showcasing the depth and breadth of scholarly achievements in Harriot College to ensure recognition and career advancement goals.

Additionally, Keene will provide administrative and operational oversight to ensure an effective research administration infrastructure that benefits all, and he will be a leader and collaborator within and beyond the dean’s office.

“My primary goal is to grow the Harriot College research portfolio by first working to foster inclusive and welcoming environments for research,” he said. “Other goals include being a steward of resources to improve the ECU and Harriot College research infrastructure and creating opportunities to showcase and highlight research efforts and scholarly achievements across the college.”

A native of eastern North Carolina, Keene received his doctorate in molecular medicine from Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine in 2007. After completing his postdoctoral fellowship, he began his academic career as a research-track assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Center for Public Health Genomics.

In 2022, Keene moved back to Virginia and became director of the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Center for Health Equity and Precision Public Health, where he also was a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences.

Keene’s research interests include utilizing genomics, epigenetics and metabolomics methodology to gain deeper insights into complex human diseases and eliminate health disparities. His specific areas of focus include Type 2 diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome and ischemic stroke. Keene has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, and he has received nearly $16.5 million in extramural research project funding from agencies that include the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. Outside of work, Keene enjoys spending time with his family and friends and watching or attending sporting events.

“ECU has an amazing mission, and I look forward to working with the talented faculty, staff and students to use research as a tool to transform the region and prepare the next generation of scholars, researchers and leaders,” Keene said.