University of North Texas 
Aaron Roberts
Leadership, Research Development
Associate Vice President of Research and Innovation
Office: Hurley 210
Dr. Aaron Roberts serves as the Associate Vice President of Research & Innovation at UNT, providing strategic leadership for faculty research development, university core research facilities, and institutional research integrity efforts. Responsibilities include advancing faculty success through grant development programming, funding opportunity identification, proposal support, agency engagement, and internal seed funding initiatives. Dr. Roberts oversees eight university core facilities that provide specialized equipment, technical expertise, and research infrastructure essential to faculty research, student training, and interdisciplinary collaboration. By strengthening research capacity, supporting competitive funding proposals, ensuring research integrity, and maintaining shared research resources, this work directly contributes to the university's research growth, operational excellence, and strategic research priorities.
Dr. Aaron Roberts was appointed as associate vice president of Research and Innovation on July 1, 2021. Prior to his appointment, he was a professor of environmental toxicology in the College of Science (COS) and spent the last two years as the director of the Advanced Environmental Research Institute (AERI). He is considered an expert on the fate and effects of chemical contaminants in freshwater and marine ecosystems. His research group has been funded by federal and state agencies as well as the private sector. Most recently, he secured a $300,000 award from the Texas General Land Office (GLO) for toxicological studies that will inform oil spill response in the state.
Ph.D. in zoology from Miami-Ohio University
M.S. in zoology from Miami-Ohio University
B.S in biology from the University of Missouri
Postdoctoral training in environmental toxicology from Clemson University