Balthasar appointed Executive Director of Research Initiatives

In his new position, Balthasar will administer research and economic development internal funding programs, lead multi-disciplinary teaming initiatives, and coordinate UB’s limited submissions. He will also manage the Buffalo Blue Sky program, a new VPR-sponsored program that provides seed funding for UB investigators to jumpstart new collaborative projects and expand their research circles, using diverse expertise to solve high-risk, high-reward challenges.

During his tenure as associate dean in the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, a school-based Office of Research Administration was established for pre- and post-award support. Balthasar will remain the director of the school’s Center for Protein Therapeutics, a research and training consortium sponsored by leading pharmaceutical companies. Since its inception in 2008, the Center has funded 128 school-based seed projects totaling over $12 million.

Balthasar’s research focuses on the utilization of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics analyses and mathematical modeling to guide the discovery and development of new immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmunity. He is the recipient of a recent $1.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to test new strategies for improving the delivery of potent toxins to cancer cells.

Balthasar currently serves as a member of the National Institutes of Health’s Gene and Drug Delivery Study Section in the Center for Scientific Review.

He received both his doctorate and bachelor’s degree from the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.