A physicist and experienced research administrator will serve as Binghamton University’s new vice president for research beginning in July.

Sheena Murphy, an expert in condensed matter physics, is associate vice president for research development at West Virginia University. She began her career in industry at IBM and AT&T Bell Labs before joining the University of Oklahoma, where she was a faculty member for more than 20 years.

“I view research broadly, including not only funding, but also scholarly output, creative activity, public scholarship, and community impact,” Murphy said. “My approach to leadership emphasizes collaboration across academic and administrative units, and I’m eager to get to work at Binghamton, which has exciting goals for growing its research capacity.”

She succeeds Bahgat Sammakia, who stepped down as vice president in 2025 and continues to serve as director of the S3IP Center of Excellence and distinguished professor of mechanical engineering.

Continue reading the full announcement on the Binghamton University website here.