Group: IBI Administration

Andre W. Marshall is Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact at George Mason University and President of the George Mason Research Foundation. As the university’s senior research officer, Marshall provides overall leadership for the portfolio of research, innovation, and economic development activities.

Marshall joined George Mason University from the National Science Foundation, where he served as Program Director for the Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) and Innovation Corps (I-CorpsTM) programs. During his tenure at NSF, Marshall advanced NSF’s university-based tech translation and commercialization programs through national initiatives strengthening industry-university engagement and collaboration, new partnerships broadening participation in innovation and tech entrepreneurship, and program virtualization increasing accessibility to the prestigious national I-Corps Teams program.

Prior to NSF, Marshall served on the faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering where he founded the Fire Testing and Evaluation Center (FireTEC) and launched a tech-startup based on patented technology stemming from his research and inspired by his participation in the NSF I-Corps program. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, FM Global, United Technologies Research Center, National Fire Protection Association, and various other institutions.

Marshall’s research and teaching interests are centered around experimental characterization and computational evaluation of complex turbulent reacting flows and sprays. His early work in this area focused on propulsion and later included fire suppression and agricultural technologies. He is the recipient of the NSF Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE) and the Philip Thomas Medal of Excellence. He has served as Associate Editor for the Fire Safety Journal and on the USPTO Working Group for the National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI).

Marshall began his college career at Georgia Tech receiving a B.M.E and M.S. in mechanical engineering in 1991 and 1992, respectively. In 1996, he completed his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Rebekah Hersch serves as Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation and also leads the Research Development Services team. As Interim Associate Vice President, Dr. Hersch provides leadership for the Research and Innovation Initiatives (RII) team which includes Mason’s three University Research Institutes (IBI, ISE and IDIA) and its five Transdisciplinary Centers for Advanced Study as well as the Research Development Services office. Together, these units focus on supporting, connecting, communicating about, and convening researchers internally and with external partners. She works closely with other administrative units across Mason to develop and implement the strategic plan to foster and grow the research ecosystem.

Dr. Hersch also serves as a member of the leadership team for the Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Coordinating and Translation Center, part of the NIH HEAL Initiative. Prior to joining Mason in 2017, Dr. Hersch was Senior Research Scientist and Senior Vice President at ISA Associates, a behavioral science research organization in Alexandria, Virginia. For over 25 years, while at ISA Associates, Dr. Hersch conducted workplace-based health promotion and substance abuse prevention research and development. The primary focus of her research was on the application of multimedia technology and health behavior change theory and science to address behavioral health problems and improve the wellness. The programs developed and field-tested as part of that research address a myriad of health issues including substance abuse, HIV prevention, stress, mental illness, and medication adherence.

Dr. Hersch received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Clark University in Worcester, MA and her Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology (with a concentration on health) at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

As Executive Director of George Mason University’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation, Amy Adams is responsible for nurturing and advancing biohealth research and innovation interests of more than 300 faculty and thousands of students who represent a broad range of academic disciplines. Her role includes fostering partnerships with industry, healthcare, government, and academic partners; overseeing core laboratory facilities including Mason’s Regional Biocontainment Facility; advancing research development; establishing the Northern Virginia BioHub; and supporting development of an Innovation District on Mason’s SciTech campus. Valuing the importance of creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, Amy is committed to working with partners across the state and region to grow the biohealth ecosystem. 

Prior to leading the development of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation in 2017, Amy served in several different capacities since 2002 at Mason. Amy brings experience as a scientific researcher using genomic and proteomic technologies to study signaling pathway networks in cancer. She led outreach efforts and created programs to engage high school and undergraduate students in research across STEM disciplines, communicate science to the public, and foster internal and external collaborations. Amy earned a M.S. in Chemistry, B.S. in Biology, and is an author on one patent and fifteen peer reviewed articles. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of University Research Parks (AURP).