Bio
Kimberley McAllister serves as the inaugural Vice Provost for Research, Scholarly Inquiry, and Creative Activity. In this role, McAllister provides leadership and vision as Wake Forest enters an exciting new phase of growth of its research enterprise. She guides strategic cross-school academic initiatives, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthens university research infrastructure and compliance, and fosters opportunities for collaboration within and beyond the University.
McAllister holds a dual appointment as a professor in the Department of Biology and professor of Translational Neurosciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Previously, she spent 25 years as a Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, and 7 years as Director of the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience. Supported by more than 25 years of NIH funding, her neuroscience research continues to yield seminal discoveries about synapse formation and loss, including how immune molecules, genes, and maternal infection influence neurodevelopmental disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.
McAllister earned her BS in Biology from Davidson College and her PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University, and completed postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute. Career highlights include more than 80 publications, 25 awarded grants, service on numerous review panels and several foundation boards, and the mentorship of 10 graduate students, 13 postdocs, and over 60 undergraduate researchers. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious academic awards, including being elected as a 2025 AAAS Fellow.
Areas of Responsibility:
- Provost-Sponsored Centers & Institutes
- Strategic Interdisciplinary Academic Initiatives
- Innovation, Partnerships, and Wake Downtown
- Office of Research & Sponsored Programs
- Research Integrity, Security and Compliance
- Grant writing mentorship and support
- Strategic communications and marketing for research, scholarship and creative work