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University of Oklahoma Appoints Moriah Locklear Assistant Vice President for Research

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Moriah Locklear.
Moriah Locklear named Assistant VP for Research. Photo provided.

University of Oklahoma Appoints Moriah Locklear Assistant Vice President for Research

Her Washington, D.C.-based appointment enhances OU’s engagement with funding agencies


By

Chelsea Julian

chelseajulian@ou.edu

Date

July 9, 2025

NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma has named Moriah Locklear, Ph.D., as assistant vice president for research, subject to final approval by the OU Board of Regents. In this new leadership role, Locklear will be based in Washington, D.C., where she will lead efforts to advance the university’s research and partnership agenda on a national scale.

“Dr. Locklear will be instrumental in strengthening OU’s strategic engagement with federal agencies, national associations and other key stakeholders,” said Vice President for Research and Partnerships Matt Hulver, Ph.D.

Her responsibilities will include identifying and responding to federal research priorities, supporting the university’s pursuit of federal funding and facilitating collaborative opportunities that align with OU’s research mission.

“Dr. Locklear brings to OU a powerful combination of policy insight, federal engagement experience and a deep understanding of the research enterprise,” Hulver said. “Her track record of building strategic partnerships and translating complex federal landscapes into actionable strategies makes her exceptionally well-suited to this role.”

Prior to joining OU, Locklear served as the federal research engagement manager at Arizona State University, where she developed and managed the operational strategy for ASU’s D.C.-based federal research office. Her work helped secure the university’s competitive edge in grant applications and strengthened its relationships with federal funding agencies.

Locklear also previously held a position as a research fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, where she oversaw government-sponsored projects, supervised personnel and budgets and conducted independent research on science and technology policy issues.

She holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a Bachelor of Science in pharmaceutical sciences from The Ohio State University.

About the University of Oklahoma

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.


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