Victor McCrary, chairman of the National Science Board and a Catholic University alumnus, is the new vice provost for national security innovation at The Catholic University of America.
He began his new position on Oct. 14, 2025, after serving as vice president of research at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).
“I am excited and thrilled as an alum to return to Cardinal Nation,” McCrary said. “My new role is to develop, coordinate, and advocate for the University's efforts in national security from research, talent development, and strategic partnerships. It's an exciting time to be at The Catholic University of America.”
His appointment brings new depth to the Office of the Provost, as Catholic University continues to expand its commitment to research. Earlier this year, the University was named an R1 research university, the highest tier possible, by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education. This places the University in the top 5% of all research universities nationwide. The recognition is based on research spending levels and the number of doctorates the University grants annually.
This fall, the University also launched a new Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, led by a director from Microsoft, Taylor Black.
About Victor McCrary, Ph.D.
A native of the Washington, D.C., metro area, Victor McCrary received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Catholic University in 1978, followed by a Ph.D. in chemistry from Howard University and then an executive master’s of engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.
He currently is chairman of the National Science Board. (NOTE: Aaron Dominguez, Catholic University’s executive vice president and provost, is vice chair of this same Board.)
Prior to joining Catholic University, McCrary was vice president of research for UDC. There, he developed the Office of University Research; established Research Weeks to showcase current university research; initiated a technology capture (patents) effort; and led numerous research initiatives that culminated in the designation of UDC as a Carnegie-classified “Research College & University” in February 2025.
Prior to UDC, he served as vice chancellor for research at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and as the first vice president for research and economic development at Morgan State University in Baltimore. In this role at Morgan State, McCrary developed a university-wide research ecosystem, increasing external support for faculty research and growing an entrepreneurial culture among faculty and students that led to its first patents and R2 Carnegie research designation.
McCrary also has held positions with The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and was the first chief of the Convergent Information Systems Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
He is a former president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Among the numerous honors he has received throughout his career is the Alumni Achievement Award for Research Excellence from Catholic University in 2015.
McCrary was inducted into the DeMatha Catholic High School Hall of Fame in 2013, and he also served on the Learning Engineering & Design Advisory Board at Elizabeth Seton High School from 2013 to 2016. He has been a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 7559 in Columbia, Md., since 1997.
