Krista Walton has been named associate vice president for Research Operations and Infrastructure for Georgia Tech, effective Oct. 1. In her new position, Walton will ensure effective and strategic support for research faculty and staff related to operations, infrastructure, and administration. She brings 14 years of experience at Georgia Tech, most recently as associate dean for Research and Innovation in the College of Engineering.  

“Contributing to the research enterprise at Georgia Tech has been a major focus of my career over the last 14 years,” she said. “I am passionate about academic research and have a deep understanding of the operational support our researchers need to be successful. I look forward to working alongside the Institute’s exceptional leadership, faculty, and staff to support and elevate our research endeavors, fostering an environment where groundbreaking discoveries flourish." 

In this role, Walton will oversee the facilitation and support of research across campus and will be responsible for a variety of principal investigator (PI)-facing activities within the research enterprise, including internally funded research programs. She will also oversee research space, core facilities, research computing and data, and contribute to policies related to research administration and operations.   

Walton joined the faculty in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech in 2009 as an assistant professor. Her postdoctoral research was completed at Northwestern University, and she holds a B.S.E. and Ph.D. from the University of Alabama-Huntsville and Vanderbilt University, respectively. Her research focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of functional porous materials for use in adsorption applications including carbon dioxide capture and atmospheric water harvesting. She was the founding director and lead PI on Georgia Tech’s first DOE Energy Frontier Research Center in 2014 and is currently an associate editor for the American Chemical Society journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.  

“This role is critically important as we grow and scale our research enterprise across all research areas at Georgia Tech,” said Robert Butera, chief research operations officer. “I worked alongside Krista during my time in the College of Engineering, and I am confident she has the skill and expertise to lead our research operations into the future.”