Biography

Dr. Sandra Richardson serves as Assistant Vice President for Research Development and Innovation at Howard University, where she provides strategic leadership to advance the University’s research enterprise and drive innovation across disciplines. Before joining Howard University, Dr. Richardson held  senior leadership positions at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), including serving as Deputy Directorate Head for the NSF Directorate for Geosciences and Division Director for the Research Capacity and Competitiveness Section within the NSF Office of the Director/Office of Integrative Activities, where she oversaw the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the HBCU–Excellence in Research (HBCU–EiR) program.

Dr. Richardson has been nationally recognized for her mentoring, teaching, leadership, and research service. Her honors include recognition as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), recipient of the NSF Director’s Award, multiple NSF Special Act Awards, a University Excellence in Teaching and Research Merit Award, and completion of the prestigious Federal Executive Institute leadership program.

Dr. Richardson earned her Bachelor of Science from Dillard University and both her Master of Science and PhD from Purdue University.