A visionary leader, dedicated scholar, and transformative academic executive, Dr. Sherri (Sharareh) Kermanshachi has devoted her career to building thriving research enterprises, empowering faculty and students, and creating the collaborative ecosystems that turn bold ideas into real-world impact. Currently serving as Vice Chancellor for Research and Outreach, Associate Dean for Research, and Professor of Civil Engineering at Penn State University, she provides executive leadership across the Office of Research and Outreach, research institutes and centers, continuing education, economic development, and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Under her leadership, the college's research enterprise has undergone transformative growth, with research expenditures tripling in three years and the active research portfolio spanning engineering, AI, biomedical, defense, and energy. As a scholar, she is recognized by Stanford University and Elsevier as a World's Top 2% Scientist, with an h-index of 52, 9,500+ citations, and 450+ publications spanning peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and research reports. She has secured $24M+ in externally funded research from 14 federal and state sponsors. She is a Fellow of six organizations, including ACE, APLU, ASCE, ICE, CMAA, and ARIS. She also serves as an elected member of the ASEE Engineering Research Council Board of Directors.