Peter Mohler approved as new acting president of Ohio State

Dr. Peter Mohler will serve as acting president until Walter “Ted” Carter takes over in January 2024. Credit: The Ohio State University

Ohio State named Peter Mohler, the current executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge and member of the president’s cabinet, the acting president at a board of trustees meeting Tuesday.

Mohler will take on the role until Walter Carter, current president of the University of Nebraska system, takes over Jan. 1, 2024. According to a university release, Mohler will work closely with Carter until the transition at the end of the calendar year.

“Dr. Mohler is a trusted and proven member of the university’s leadership team,” Hiroyuki Fujita, chair of the board of trustees, said. “We are grateful that he has agreed to serve in the role of acting president. He will provide vital continuity this semester and a seamless transition in the new year.”

In addition to his role as vice president for research, innovation and knowledge, Mohler is the chief scientific officer for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Ohio State College of Medicine. He has been at Ohio State since 2011, when he joined as director of the Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute at the Wexner Medical Center.

Prior to joining the university, Mohler worked as an associate professor at the University of Iowa in the Departments of Medicine, Biophysics and Molecular Physics. 

Mohler received his bachelor’s degree in biology and biochemistry from Wake Forest University before pursuing his Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also completed his fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center.

According to the Wexner Medical Center’s website, Mohler has more than 240 peer-reviewed publications and focuses his research on “uncovering the mechanisms underlying abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure in children and young adults” to design new therapies. 

Mohler’s former roles involved several functions. As chief scientific officer, he is responsible for leading all research operations in the medical center while also directing teams that generate best practices for research and innovation. 

For his work, Mohler was awarded a variety of awards including a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and Outstanding Investigator of the American Heart Association.