David Reed, Florida Museum of Natural History associate director for research and collections, has been appointed a University of Florida associate provost effective July 1.

The office of the provost tracks about 6,000 awards that are eligible to UF faculty. Reed, currently a UF provost fellow, has been leading universitywide efforts to increase external faculty honors and awards. In his new role, he will expand his efforts to enhance UF faculty recognition by creating a system to make it easier for department chairs and deans to nominate faculty for these highly prestigious awards.

“Other institutions of comparable size have dedicated staff to finding recognition opportunities for their faculty,” Reed said. “As a university with many prestigious colleges, it’s logical that we need a similar position for our staff to receive the honors and awards they deserve.”

Reed’s appointment is a half-time position and he will continue his duties as Florida Museum associate director for research and collections, focusing on grants and long-term strategic planning.