Tom McCoy is Vice President for Research, Creativity and Technology Transfer at Montana State University, where he has overseen the growth of research to over $80 million annually, placing MSU in the top 100 research universities in the nation as ranked by funding. Dr. McCoy supports applied research in all academic areas with the goal of developing technologies that provide opportunities for start-up companies, collaborative efforts with Montana’s growing high-technology sector, and opportunities for students to serve as interns, and ultimately, to obtain jobs in technology companies in Montana. He is active on the board of directors of TechRanch, the joint initiative between MSU and the City of Bozeman that incubates new technology companies.

Previously, Dr. McCoy was Dean of the MSU College of Agriculture and Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station. He is well-published and has received many honors during his career as an educator and researcher, which includes time with the USDA/ARS, an associate professorship in plant sciences at the University of Arizona, and Department Head for Plant Sciences at MSU.

Dr. McCoy has a M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota-St. Paul, both in plant breeding and genetics.