University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis Syrmos has named Robert Wright, the current director of the UH Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), as the next Interim Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship, effective January 1, pending UH President Wendy Hensel’s approval and posting at the November 20 Board of Regents meeting. Wright will succeed Christopher Sabine who has served in the position since February 2022.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and to build on the incredible work being done across our campus,” Wright said. “UH Mānoa’s research community has a tremendous impact, from Hawaiʻi to the global stage, and I’m excited to help further that momentum.”
Sabine will return to faculty as an oceanography professor in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).
“It has been an honor to serve on the UH Mānoa leadership team and to contribute to the university’s mission alongside such dedicated colleagues,” Sabine said. “I’m deeply grateful for the support, collaboration and shared commitment that make our work so meaningful. I look forward to returning to SOEST and continuing my research and teaching.”
During Sabineʻs tenure as interim vice provost, UH Mānoa saw extramural funding grow from $352.6 million in FY2021 to a record $570.4 million in FY2025. The external investments—from federal agencies, private industry and nonprofits—support research and workforce development across disciplines.
“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Chris for his dedicated service over the past nearly four years,” Syrmos said. “His leadership, commitment and vision have made a lasting impact on our university community. Chris is also among the most respected researchers in the field of oceanography, and we are fortunate that his expertise will continue to enrich our campus as he returns to the faculty.”
Prior to his appointment as interim vice provost for research and scholarship, Sabine was the associate dean for research at SOEST. Before coming to UH, Sabine was the director of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and has been a scientific advisor for a number of research programs nationally and internationally. His research focuses on understanding the global carbon cycle, the role of the ocean in absorbing carbon dioxide released from human activity and ocean acidification.
Wright has been the director of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology since 2017 and was appointed Director of the Space Science Institute at UH Mānoa in 2025. He is an accomplished Earth scientist whose pioneering work in satellite-based monitoring of volcanoes and remote sensing has earned more than $20 million in research funding from NASA and other federal agencies. He has published extensively, led multiple NASA missions, including the HyTI CubeSat project, and continues to advance UH Mānoa’s global reputation in Earth and planetary science.

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