Michael Jacobson – chair
Binghamton University
Michael Jacobson, PhD serves as the executive director of the Office of Strategic Research Initiatives at Binghamton University. In this role, Jacobson is responsible for overseeing proposal team development and research initiatives, particularly those related to large external proposals. Beyond basic research development support, he also provides critical advice to faculty on broader impacts planning. Most recently, he has supported both faculty and industry partners in the semiconductor field on projects related to workforce development and industry and community partnerships.
Jacobson’s dedication to broader impacts is deeply rooted in his experience in outreach and community engagement as an archaeologist. Prior to his current role, he was a principal investigator at Binghamton University’s Public Archaeology Facility, where he directed numerous cultural resource management projects. His research interests include landscape archaeology and the archaeology of conflict. In this capacity, Jacobson was instrumental in developing strategies for historic preservation and public interpretation, often working in close collaboration with descendant communities and other key stakeholders, specifically indigenous communities and landowners. In addition to his practical work in the field, Jacobson has made significant scholarly contributions to the discourse on community-engaged research. He has published several articles and chapters on the topic of innovative methods and strategies for engaging with community groups, particularly descendant communities, in the context of education programs that emphasize community memory, stewardship, history, and historical archaeology.
Beyond his association with ARIS, Jacobson has participated in other research impact organizations. He served as an invited speaker at conferences hosted by the Association for European Studies in Science (AESIS) and panelist discussing research impacts in the arts and humanities. He holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in anthropology from Binghamton University and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Fort Lewis College in Colorado.
