Quinton Johnson has been appointed the assistant vice chancellor for research compliance and serves as the University’s research compliance officer.
In September, Quinton Johnson was selected as an assistant vice chancellor for research (AVCR), a new role within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) dedicated to overseeing all aspects of research compliance. Reporting to Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Andy Johns, Johnson’s previous role as chief compliance officer in the Division of Institutional Integrity and Risk Management has prepared him for this new opportunity.
UNC Research spoke to Johnson about what’s to come for compliance at Carolina.
How do you define compliance as it relates to research?
Compliance is an intentional organized approach to ensuring that UNC-Chapel Hill adheres to law, regulation, and policy requirements attached to research funding. These are complex requirements that have implications for research subject safety, national security, and even individual careers.
My new role and that of my office is to provide services in support of these requirements. My goal is to make compliance as simple and unobtrusive as possible, so that our research community can focus on what is most important to them.
Why are you interested in research compliance?
Public service has always been important to me, and my career has exclusively been in support of public colleges and universities. I have a background in law and my first role in university administration happened to be in a research compliance office. That role exposed me to everything from international sanctions compliance, biosafety/security reviews, research subjects ethics, and more. It is hard for me to imagine a more exciting confluence of issues and expertise and I truly do enjoy working in this space.
How have your previous roles prepared you for this position?
I have worked at several universities and draw on those experiences and the professional network I have built to make sure we optimize our program and address compliance problems that are most pressing and time-consuming for our faculty and staff.
How will you work collaboratively and strategically with other campus administrative offices?
I will listen to our campus partners to better understand their needs. My experience has taught me it is better to integrate into an existing process, when possible, rather than create new rules and procedures. I firmly believe, the more collaborative the approach the better the outcome for our faculty, staff, and students.
Anything else you’d like to add about your new role?
Thanks to our amazing faculty, staff, and students. UNC-Chapel Hill has one of the most exciting and innovative research programs in the world. I am thrilled to take on this new role in supporting research efforts and look forward to supporting UNC’s future research endeavors.