Aileen Anderson Named Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Irvine

• Aileen Anderson brings a 30-year legacy at UC Irvine, including renowned discoveries in spinal cord injury regeneration and unprecedented growth in regenerative medicine and biomedical innovation.
• During her tenure as director, research funding at the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center increased 3.5-fold, and its CIRM Alpha Clinic for Cell and Gene Therapy opened.

Irvine, Calif., June 26, 2025 — After a nationwide search, the University of California, Irvine has tapped one of its own to lead its research enterprise, naming internationally recognized neuroscientist Aileen Anderson as vice chancellor for research. In her new role, she will helm the Office of Research, which provides central campus administrative support, oversight and compliance assurance for UC Irvine’s research programs.

Anderson heads UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. Its membership includes 65 faculty from the schools of medicine, biological sciences, engineering, arts, and pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences who are dedicated to accelerating stem cell, regenerative medicine and gene therapy research and transformative treatments for serious diseases. Under her leadership, the center’s overall research portfolio has grown significantly, from $7.8 million in 2016, the year before she became director, to $27 million currently. In addition, clinical research support has increased more than 12-fold, from $811,000 to $9.7 million.

“Professor Anderson is a brilliant scientist and a visionary leader,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman. “She will serve as vice chancellor for research during a time when the national research environment is both highly competitive and critically important to our collective future. I am confident in her ability to lead our research mission with integrity, creativity and purpose, and I look forward to what she and our robust research community will accomplish together.”

Anderson is a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, anatomy and neurobiology, and neurosurgery. She earned a PhD at UC Irvine in 1995 and joined its faculty in 2001. Anderson’s research focuses on discovering new approaches to treating spinal cord injuries and central nervous system disease. Her recent work has yielded groundbreaking evidence for the regeneration of the corticospinal tract, a major pathway in the spinal cord responsible for the voluntary movement of the body, particularly the limbs and trunk, as well as a new cellular therapy for chronic spinal cord injuries.

Learn more about Anderson's background in the full press release in UC Irvine News.