Professor Emeritus Charley Hess, due to health issues, is stepping down from his post as interim vice chancellor for research about nine weeks after he came out of retirement to accept a Board of Regents appointment to the post.

“I deeply appreciate the support that the senior management and staff in the Office of Research have given me in the past month and a half,” said Hess, a highly regarded administrator and researcher who said he was stepping down on the advice of his cardiologist.

To replace Hess, Chancellor Linda Katehi has called on Stan Nosek, a campus administrator who retired from UC Davis in June after a 30-plus-year career. Nosek officially took over as interim vice chancellor for research on Nov. 16, after UC President Mark G. Yudof and Regent Bruce Varner, chair of the regents Committee on Compensation, approved the appointment. The action is due to be reported to the full Board of Regents at its January meeting.

Prior to his retirement, Nosek served as vice chancellor of the Office of Administration. In that position, his portfolio included Human Resources; Accounting and Financial Services (Central Storehouse, Mail Division, Materiel Management, Purchasing and Business Contracts); Architects and Engineers; Business Services (Campus Events and Visitor Services, Fleet Services, Repro Graphics, and Transportation and Parking Services); Facilities; Safety Services (Emergency-Continuity Management; Occupational Health Services; Environmental Health and Safety; Risk Management; Institutional Animal Care and Use; and Workers Compensation); and the campus Police and Fire departments.

As the institutional official for animal care and use, Nosek worked with campus researchers, animal facility managers and federal and accrediting agencies to ensure a supportive environment for research while meeting the compliance expectations for the use of animals in research.

In addition, Nosek served on two in-house blue ribbon committees that the chancellor charged to review research and technology transfer practices on campus, and he participated in the Washington Advisory Group’s outside review of research at UC Davis.

Katehi pointed out that until Vice Chancellor-Designate Harris Lewin’s arrival on March 30, the highest priority for the Office of Research is to maintain and improve — where possible — the administrative infrastructure that supports faculty research and technology transfer efforts.

“It is for that reason that I deemed it best to turn to Stan, a proven, veteran administrator, to take over the Office of Research until Harris arrives next spring,” Katehi said. “Stan is an experienced and respected manager with significant tenure at the vice chancellor level.

“His skills and strengths are in a variety of areas, including general administration, fiscal oversight, human resources, technology management and strategic planning. In addition, during Stan’s tenure, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Bernd Hamann and I will be available to advise him on academic matters. I am confident that we will be in good hands.”

The Board of Regents approved Hess’s appointment on Sept. 16. At the time, Hess replaced Barry Klein, who was stepping down as vice chancellor for research after nine years in the position. Katehi sought Hess’s interim appointment to provide continuity of leadership in the Office of Research and to assist the office in its eventual transition to a new permanent vice chancellor.

About a month later, on Oct. 14, President Yudof and Regent Varner approved Lewin’s appointment as the new permanent vice chancellor for research.

Lewin, a respected interdisciplinary researcher and academic leader, earned his doctorate in immunology at UC Davis in 1984. He has spent the past 26 years at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he holds the Gutgsell Endowed Chair in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

As interim vice chancellor for research, Nosek will receive a 43 percent appointment based on an annual base salary of $237,400 for a period not to exceed five months. In keeping with UC policy, Nosek will continue to receive standard health and welfare benefits. Additional details about the total compensation package are due to be posted in mid-January on the UC Office of the President's website on salaries and compensation.