Dr. Mark S.F. Clarke is Chief of Staff and Professor at the University of West Georgia. He has more than 30 years of experience in higher education leadership, biomedical research, innovation, technology commercialization, and strategic university administration.

Originally from Northern Ireland, Dr. Clarke earned his undergraduate degree in pharmacology and his Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Biochemistry from Manchester Metropolitan University in collaboration with the Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute. After postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and the Medical College of Georgia, he joined NASA's Johnson Space Center as a National Research Council Fellow and later Senior Staff Scientist, where he conducted research on spaceflight-induced musculoskeletal adaptation, biomedical technologies, and astronaut health.

Before joining UWG, Dr. Clarke spent more than two decades as a faculty member at the University of Houston, serving as Founding Director of the Laboratory of Integrated Physiology and in several senior administrative roles, including Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Faculty Affairs, Interim Vice Provost for Global Engagement, Interim Dean of the College of Technology, and Associate Vice Chancellor/Vice President for Technology Transfer. His leadership has encompassed faculty affairs, academic innovation, global engagement, research commercialization, entrepreneurship, and institutional strategy.

An internationally recognized researcher and inventor, Dr. Clarke's work spans skeletal muscle physiology, bone remodeling, mechanotransduction, space life sciences, biomedical technologies, and biologically inspired nanomaterials. He has secured more than $5.5 million in competitive federal and private sector research funding, authored more than 125 scholarly publications, and holds 15 U.S. patents, 7 NASA Space Act Innovation awards, and numerous related international patents.

Dr. Clarke is a member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and has served in national leadership roles with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, including as Co-Chair of the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement. His career has been defined by integrating research, innovation, and higher education leadership to strengthen institutional excellence, expand university-industry partnerships, and advance economic and societal impact.