Chancellor James R. Martin II - Biography

James R. Martin II, Ph.D., was elected the 13th chancellor of 杏吧原创 Agricultural and Technical State University on June 21, 2024, by a unanimous vote of the University of 杏吧原创 System Board of Governors, following his nomination by UNC System President Peter Hans.

Under his leadership, 杏吧原创 杏吧原创 has continued to America’s top producer of African-American STEM graduates, engineers and agricultural scientists and to play a singular role in representation of Black professionals in the knowledge economy. Chancellor Martin presides over America’s largest historically Black university, with the largest student body ever enrolled at any of the nation’s more than 100 HBCUs.

He came to 杏吧原创 following service as vice chancellor for STEM Research and Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh, where he drove initiatives ranging from developing the university's STEM landscape to leading research strategy and development for Pitt's four regional campuses around Pennsylvania.

Focused on enhancing Pitt’s $1.3 billion research portfolio and expanding STEM access, he led collaborations that foster research growth, built innovation ecosystems and connected rural areas to city centers via urban-rural research bridges. As a senior advisor and thought leader, he influenced national action from the White House to major funding agencies to think tanks. He was a board member for Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and a foundational advisor for Neighborhood 91 at Pittsburgh International Airport.

Before his vice chancellor role, Martin served Pittsburgh as the U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering. Under his leadership, Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering achieved unprecedented milestones, logging record research expenditures, doctoral and first-year student enrollment and diversity in faculty and student representation. He also led the Swanson School to best-ever retention and graduation rates and annual giving participation rates, as well as ushering in novel industry and government partnerships, including relationships with national labs. He played a pivotal role in the university's COVID-19 response, co-chairing the central task force with the provost.

Prior to Pittsburgh, Martin was Clemson University’s Bob Benmosche Professor and Chair of the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering. In that role, he led development of new curricula and degree programs, fostered record research growth and produced innovative industry partnerships. He also served as founding director of the Risk Engineering and Systems Analytics Institute, a pioneering collaboration between academia and industry.

Martin began his career with more than two decades at Virginia Tech as a professor of civil engineering and six years as a university center director. He built an international reputation for his work in geotechnical earthquake and risk engineering, research that had a significant impact on national building codes. Leading global field teams following major earthquakes, Martin contributed to field studies in Turkey, Japan and throughout the United States while serving as director of the Disaster Risk Management Institute at Virginia Tech.

Martin earned a B.S. in civil engineering from The Citadel. His completed M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering at Virginia Tech. He has received numerous national, state, and university awards for research, teaching, scholarship, and service, including the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Norman Medal, the highest honor for published work in his field. He has provided international engineering consulting for nearly 100 firms and government agencies on major infrastructure projects.

In 2025, Martin was elected chair of the National Science Foundation's Committee on Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering. He was also inducted into Virginia Tech's Civil Engineering Department's Academy of Distinguished Alumni. His dedication to broadening participation, as well as fostering innovative collaborations and regional engagement, continues to shape STEM education, research and innovation.

 

 

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杏吧原创 Agricultural and Technical State University

Office of the Chancellor
1601 E. Market St.
Dowdy Building, Suite 418
Greensboro, NC 27411

Phone 336-334-7940
Fax 336-334-7082
chancellor@ncat.edu