UCSC has appointed William Berry to be deputy director of the UC Silicon Valley Center. Berry, who joined the center in June, previously served as deputy director of NASA's Ames Research Center.

Berry is responsible for developing new research programs and collaborations, building UC's relationship with NASA, and helping to establish the Silicon Valley Center as a new research and education site serving the growing needs of Silicon Valley.


Berry has taken on a new role for the Silicon Valley Center in coordinating and implementing large research proposals and collaborative endeavors. Vice chancellor for research Robert Miller now serves as interim director of the center, replacing R. Michael Tanner, who joined the University of Illinois at Chicago earlier this year.


"Berry's background with NASA makes him a perfect fit for the Silicon Valley Center, and we're delighted he agreed to join the university in this position," Miller said.


Shortly after Berry's appointment as deputy director, the Silicon Valley Center moved its offices into a 5,000-square-foot facility at NASA's Moffett Field. NASA has proposed a 200-acre research park on land at Moffett Field that was transferred to NASA after the closure of the Moffett Naval Air Station.


"The doors are now open on the Silicon Valley Center at Moffett Field, and we are operating here as a virtual extension of the UCSC campus," Berry said. "NASA has long viewed UC as the ideal partner for developing the research park, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to join UC and help to develop this partnership from the perspective of UCSC," he added.


Various groups on campus have submitted proposals to establish activities at the center. Berry is currently working with Miller and associate vice chancellor for research Burney Le Boeuf to review the proposals. The center offers opportunities for collaborations and partnerships with NASA, and will also serve as a springboard for building relationships with Silicon Valley companies, Berry said.


"NASA is looking to improve the quality of its research program, and UC is looking for a stronger presence in Silicon Valley, so both have a lot to gain from this partnership," he said.


Berry has spent most of his career at NASA, having joined the Ames Research Center in 1966 as a research facility engineer. By 1990, he had become chief of the Advanced Life Support Research Division, and later spent a year at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., as deputy director of the Life and Biomedical Sciences Division. He served as director of Astrobiology and Space Research at NASA Ames from 1994 to 1996, when he was named deputy director of the Ames Research Center.


Berry has received many awards and honors for his service, including the Presidential Distinguished Executive Award in 2001 and the Outstanding NASA Leadership Medal in 1999. He received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University, and did graduate studies in aerospace systems engineering at Columbia and Stanford Universities. He also earned a master's degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.