OSU head of research named University of Alabama president

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The head of research at Ohio State University is heading south for a new job – president of the University of Alabama.

The University of Alabama’s board of trustees announced Peter J. Mohler, PhD, will serve as its 30th president, effective July 21. Watch a previous interview with Mohler in the video player above.

Mohler currently serves as Ohio State’s executive vice president for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, as well as the chief scientific officer for Wexner Medical Center.

In 2023, Mohler was named interim president for Ohio State, filling the gap between former president Kristina M. Johnson’s resignation and current president Ted Carter taking over on Jan. 1, 2024.

He joined Ohio State in 2011 as director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute.

“It is a tremendous honor to be named the next president of The University of Alabama, and I am deeply grateful to the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for the opportunity to serve this institution and further its tradition of excellence,” Mohler said in a statement announcing his appointment. “UA stands as a national leader in higher education, and I look forward to working collaboratively across campus, the UA System and the state to expand our impact and build on the University’s remarkable momentum.”

In a post on X, Carter congratulated Mohler on the appointment.

“Peter has been a trusted and visionary leader at Ohio State for almost 15 years, and I’m grateful for his advice, friendship, and commitment to excellence,” Carter posted. “The University of Alabama is in good hands.”

Mohler received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and had his fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center, according to his biography on the Wexner website. He’s a Colorado native, and he and his wife Nancy have three children.