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UVA Wise Names Josephine Rodriguez as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research

Dedra Duty
Josephine Rodriguez

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise is pleased to announce the appointment of Josephine Rodriguez, Ph.D., as associate vice chancellor for research. In this role, Rodriguez will lead efforts to expand the College’s research capacity by identifying competitive funding opportunities and supporting faculty in developing successful grant proposals.

Rodriguez brings extensive experience with the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she most recently served as a program director in the Division of Undergraduate Education. At NSF, she managed a large portfolio of research grants. She is also the recipient of multiple NSF awards herself, giving her both insider expertise and first-hand knowledge of the federal research funding landscape.

“I am so pleased for Josephine to return to the College in this important role. Her leadership and vision will strengthen our research at the College, while her support of faculty and students will have a lasting impact on our academic community and on the region we serve,” says Chancellor Donna P. Henry.

Rodriguez joined UVA Wise in 2013 as an assistant professor of biology and was promoted to full professor in 2025. Over the course of her academic career, she has directed NSF funded programs at UVA Wise, served as a Smithsonian Institution Fellow in the Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at University of California at Santa Barbara.

She earned her Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the School of Integrative Biology in 2009 as well as M.S. and B.S. degrees in Biological Sciences from San Jose State University.

“I am grateful to Chancellor Henry for the opportunity to return to UVA Wise and to help grow externally funded research on campus,” said Rodriguez. “My goal is to empower and support faculty as they pursue grant opportunities that will strengthen our academic and research community.”

Rodriguez lives in Big Stone Gap with her husband, Lorenzo Rodriguez, who coaches Cross Country and Track & Field at UVA Wise, their daughter, Piper, and their dog, Janie.