Assistant Vice Chancellor
Research Initiatives and Partnerships
California State University

Elizabeth (Beth) L. Ambos is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research Initiatives and Partnerships. In this capacity, she supports California State University (CSU) system research and sponsored programs efforts, fostering external and internal support for CSU mission-related initiatives and partnerships that may involve multiple campuses, including support from federal and state government and private foundations. She also serves as Academic Affairs' liaison to Business and Finance in the areas of sponsored programs compliance, government relations, and University advancement, working with the Director for Sponsored Programs administration.

Most recently (2003-2006), Beth Ambos served as Associate Vice President for Research and External Support in the Division of Academic Affairs at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Prior to that administrative appointment, she served as Graduate Dean (2002-2003) and Associate Dean in the College of Natural Sciences in Mathematics (1998-2003) at CSULB. A professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at CSULB, she is the main author or co-author on more than 30 peer-reviewed journal or book chapter publications, and more than 80 presentations at professional conferences. She has helped obtain and/or manage more than $15M in grant and contract funds over the past two decades. Ambos' research has focused throughout her professional career on two main areas: crustal and upper mantle structure, particularly at plate boundary zones; and high resolution geophysical imaging of shallow subsurface features, principally active faults and archaeological sites.

Beth Ambos received her A.B. in Geology from Smith College (magna cum laude), and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in marine geology and geophysics. After completing her Ph.D. degree in 1984, she was a National Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellow at the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, and then held a post-doctoral appointment at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Since coming to the CSU in 1989, she has helped lead research and technology transfer development, general education, teacher preparation, faculty professional development, and high school to college transition reform initiatives. She also served as Associate Program Director at the National Science Foundation from 1992-1993, in the Division of Ocean Sciences; a Director-at-Large for six years for Sigma Xi (1995-2001), the Science Research Honor Society; and Chair of the Steering Committee for the National Science Foundation funded Digital Library for Earth System Science (DLESE) from 2001-2003; and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research.