Kevin Cooke, Ph.D.

Dr. Kevin Cooke is the Director, Research Policy at APLU. He works with members of the Council on Research (COR) to develop understanding and strategy in response to federal government policies and regulations affecting research and innovation programs and to share information and best practices for the administration of university research operations. His responsibilities include content planning for COR meetings and overseeing COR programs such as the COR Fellows program. To accomplish these goals, he communicates with COR leadership and members to identify pressing policy concerns.

Prior to joining the APLU, Kevin was selected as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow to work at the National Science Foundation (NSF). While at the NSF, he was hosted in the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program where he conducted analyses for use in the Future of NSF EPSCoR strategic visioning process. These analyses focused on the roles of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and the trends of EPSCoR investigators over time. This data was used to inform recommendations and suggestions included in the Envisioning the Future of EPSCoR Special Report.

Kevin earned his Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences & Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as his B.S. in Astrophysics from Lehigh University. After his Ph.D., he worked at the University of Kansas as a postdoctoral researcher investigating the role of supermassive black holes in the growth of galaxies. Prior to graduate school, he worked at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. educating the general public on the value of public investment in science and technology, with a particular focus on early spaceflight history.