The Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub is pleased to welcome Bob Wertz as Director of Research Training, effective December 15. In this role, he leads the design and delivery of comprehensive, high-impact training programs for faculty researchers and research administration professionals across the university.
Wertz joins the CGI Hub with over a decade of experience at the University of South Carolina, where he previously worked as senior associate director of visual branding. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university and is currently a Ph.D. student in the College of Information and Communications, where he researches responses to visual stimuli.
Wertz has taught as an adjunct instructor since 2004 within the School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the School of Visual Art and Design, and in recent years, he has led visual identity and brand training across campus. His own Ph.D. work, alongside his communications career and adjunct roles, helped prepare him for the research training role.
I bring a knowledge and understanding of the scope of the university, of all the different ways we touch lives across the state through research—not just on the Columbia campus, but across the whole system. Research is vital, and to be part of that is an exciting thing.
“Having gone through that research process gives me insights into what faculty go through. I don’t think I fully appreciated the challenges and stresses on faculty until I started my own research,” says Wertz.
Drawing on his teaching experiences, Wertz operates using a learner-centered approach. He has a breadth of experience in incorporating diverse instructional modes and technologies, which he will now apply to strengthen research competitiveness and build institutional research capacity.
“I bring a knowledge and understanding of the scope of the university, of all the different ways we touch lives across the state through research—not just on the Columbia campus, but across the whole system,” says Wertz. “Research is vital, and to be part of that is an exciting thing.”
As Director of Research Training, Wertz will lead a strategic plan to grow the CGI Hub’s training affiliate program, launching a train-the-trainer initiative for faculty researchers and research administrators that will enable discipline-specific tailored education within units.
In his new role, Wertz most looks forward to what has always been his favorite part of his work: interacting with people around the university.
“I love getting out across campus, meeting professors, staff and students, learning about the great work they’re doing,” Wertz says. “I have an absolute love for the university. I’m really excited about meeting people, and I’m excited that it’s something I’ll get to continue doing moving forward.”