As interim vice president for research and innovation for the University of Hawai‘i System, Chad Walton oversees research operations across the university’s 10 campuses. He leads the coordination of research initiatives, manages strategic investments in research development, and ensures effective implementation of grant administration and compliance frameworks. Walton works closely with campus leaders and external partners to strengthen research infrastructure, advance translational research, and expand access to federal and philanthropic funding.

In addition, Walton directs major UH System initiatives focused on STEM education, small business innovation, and the EPSCoR/IDeA program. He is spearheading efforts to develop integrated research and workforce development strategies that foster community and industry engagement while enhancing UH’s capacity for technology transfer. He also collaborates with the UH Foundation to establish the UH System Office of Strategic Philanthropic Partnerships.

Previously, Walton served as assistant vice provost for research and scholarship at UH Mānoa, where he led campus-wide strategic research development initiatives. He launched the UH materials science initiative, which secured significant external funding and engaged broad faculty participation within its first year.

A trained bioengineer, Walton has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on research projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, with work spanning vaccine development, acoustics-based gene delivery, and molecular cardiology. He holds several U.S. patents and previously held research leadership roles at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and in the Department of Surgery, where he directed trauma research for Hawai‘i’s Trauma System. He earned degrees from Northern Arizona University, the University of Calgary, and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.