Ohio State's Peter Mohler Announced As 30th President Of The University Of Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, AL – The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously appointed Peter J. Mohler as the 30th president of The University of Alabama.

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Mohler's first official day on the job is set for July 21.

Praised for being a distinguished leader with over two decades of experience in higher education, Mohler currently serves as executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge at Ohio State University and chief scientific officer of OSU’s Wexner Medical Center.

Mohler also previously served as Ohio State's acting president in 2023.

He will take the position that will be vacated by current UA President Stuart Bell, who announced in January that he would retire this summer.

“Dr. Mohler is uniquely equipped to build upon The University of Alabama’s strong foundation and lead this institution into an even brighter future,” UA System Chancellor Sid J. Trant said. “He is a champion for the power of public higher education to transform lives and communities through teaching, research and service, and he will advance our flagship mission through his bold, student-centered and visionary leadership.”

Mohler first joined Ohio State in 2011 as the director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and went on to serve as chair of the department of physiology and cell biology, vice dean of research in the College of Medicine, and vice president for research for the university.

“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. “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.”

The UA System says Ohio State has risen in national research rankings during Mohler's time, with research and development expenditures having increased by around $600 million annually and topping $1.5 billion.

“Dr. Mohler is a highly respected and forward-thinking leader who will elevate The University of Alabama to new heights,” UA System Board of Trustees President Pro Tempore Scott Phelps said. “His leadership will attract world-class faculty, staff and students and will ensure they are prepared to thrive and succeed on campus and beyond. I want to thank our search chair, Trustee Karen Brooks, and the entire presidential search advisory committee for their outstanding work identifying the ideal leader for UA’s future.”

As a researcher, Mohler is credited with authoring more than 275 peer-reviewed publications, with his research focusing on uncovering the genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure, along with designing new diagnostics and therapies.

Mohler holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a doctorate in cell and molecular physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He performed his postdoctoral fellowship in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University before being appointed to the faculty at Vanderbilt University and later the University of Iowa.

Mohler is a native of Grand Junction, Colorado. He and his wife, Nancy, have three children: Eleanor, Caroline and John.

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