Welcoming Julia Zipper, Senior Director of the Office of Research Oversight

We are pleased to announce that Julia Zipper, MPPA, joined Georgetown University on July 7, 2025, as senior director of the Office of Research Oversight. She succeeds Mary Schmiedel, who retired this summer.

The Office of Research Oversight oversees non-financial research compliance functions and regulatory matters including research integrity, conflict of interest, export controls, research security, and the responsible conduct of research across all Georgetown campuses. Reporting jointly to the GUMC vice president for research, Anna T. Riegel, and the vice provost for research, Jeff Urbach, Ms. Zimmer holds a key role in supporting the integrity, transparency, and effectiveness of Georgetown’s research enterprise.

Ms. Zipper brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education, academic medicine, and health care compliance. She most recently served as vice president for compliance at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she led major institutional initiatives in research compliance and regulatory training. Her prior roles include leadership positions at NYU Langone Health, Northwestern University, and Yale University, where she built and directed programs in conflict of interest, research integrity, and compliance education. Ms. Zipper is nationally recognized for her expertise in research compliance and is a frequent speaker and contributor to national policy discussions on this topic.

We are deeply indebted to Mary Schmiedel for her dedicated, thoughtful, and effective service to Georgetown, and in particular for her central role in creating the Office of Research Oversight and serving as its first director. We wish her the very best.