Lindsay DiStefano has been appointed UConn’s vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, the university announced October 14, 2026. DiStefano had served as interim vice president since October 2025, after joining the Office of the Vice President for Research as associate vice president for research development in 2023. The appointment places her in charge of a university research portfolio she has helped lead through funding disruptions.

UConn’s announcement credits DiStefano with developing programs for researchers facing changes in federal research funding and agency priorities. It says she helped faculty secure prestigious grants and is launching a program to connect faculty with industry partners as another source of research support. The university also says she was instrumental in securing major state funding for faculty and research programs severely affected by federal funding changes. Those are the institution’s assessments of her work and its impact.

Lindsay DiStefano’s Research Leadership

Since joining UConn in 2009 as an assistant professor of kinesiology, DiStefano has held teaching, research, community engagement, and leadership roles. She earned tenure and promotion to associate professor in 2015, then became a full professor in 2021. She led the Kinesiology Department from 2018 to 2023. During that period, the department’s Ph.D. program was ranked among the country’s top three programs for Kinesiology, according to the university announcement.

Her academic appointments also include affiliations with Public Health Sciences and Orthopedic Surgery at the UConn School of Medicine. UConn says DiStefano has worked with colleagues across its campuses, created opportunities for researchers to exchange ideas and build collaborations, reestablished the Research Advisory Council, and worked with university research leaders to support the research community. The announcement describes collaborative action and communication as priorities in her approach to research support, while recognizing that different disciplines need different kinds of help.

Physical Activity Research and a New Trial

Alongside her administrative work, DiStefano is a kinesiology researcher whose work has focused on promoting healthy physical activity in children. UConn reports that she has published over 100 refereed journal articles and served on several grant review and editorial board committees. During her UConn tenure, her research has received funding from federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The university connects her children’s physical activity research with community work through Husky Nutrition and Sport. It also reports that DiStefano recently secured a new NIH award that will provide up to $5.5 million over six years for a national clinical trial. The project, titled “Remain in the Game: Dissemination of Primary Prevention to Keep Children Physically Active for Life,” will evaluate a pragmatic approach to helping high schools adopt evidence-based injury prevention programs. The stated goals are to reduce sports injuries and support lifelong physical activity.

UConn Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Pamir Alpay announced the appointment and said he looked forward to working with DiStefano and the Office of the Vice President for Research team. The university says her combination of research, teaching, funding knowledge, community engagement, and academic leadership qualifies her for the role. The next phase of the work will include the industry-partner program now being launched and the high-school trial funded by NIH.