Dr. Anthony Tongen serves as the inaugural Vice President for the division of Research, Economic Development and Innovation (REDI) at James Madison University. From summer 2020 until March 2024, he grew the role from a vice provost position within REDI's former home in Academic Affairs, in addition to having previously served in an interim capacity for two years. As JMU’s Chief Research Officer, Tongen provides overall leadership for a unit comprising the following areas: Sponsored Programs; Research Integrity and the Institutional Review Board; Technology Innovation and Economic Development; Student Awards, Initiatives, and Research; and Federal Relations and Communications. At JMU, Tongen serves on the President’s Cabinet, Provost’s Leadership Team and Academic Council, working closely with university and academic leadership to ensure faculty and students have the support needed to thrive in a discovery-driven environment. Tongen is a member of the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Council on Research, and frequently represents JMU research interests in Richmond, Washington, D.C. and at international meetings.  

During Tongen’s tenure as JMU’s Chief Research Officer, JMU’s external sponsored program funding has increased by 92%, culminating in a reclassification by Carnegie to R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity, announced in February 2022. Prioritizing innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and inclusive excellence, Tongen employs a collaborative approach to secure resources, establish partnerships, assist faculty access funding opportunities and proposal development services, and improve JMU’s compliance infrastructure.

Joining the JMU faculty in 2005, Tongen holds the rank of Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. As a scholar, Tongen’s research interests include mathematical biology, numerical analysis and dynamical systems, and game theory. His work has been published in the American Journal of Physics, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, Integrative and Comparative Biology, Physiological Entomology and American Mathematical Monthly (non-exhaustive). With co-author James Sochacki (JMU Professor Emeritus), Tongen recently published Applying Power Series to Differential Equations (Springer Nature) in March 2023.

Tongen has successfully competed for $2.9 million in external funding, with awards from the National Science Foundation, Jeffress Memorial Trust, Mathematical Association of America, Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics and Triton Systems Inc. Tongen was a García Robles Fulbright Scholar in 2012-13, serving on the faculty at the Universidad de Colima in Mexico.

Tongen has held several administrative positions at JMU, including Associate Dean in the College of Science and Mathematics, Assistant Department Head of Mathematics and Statistics and Co-Director of the Center for STEM Education and Outreach. Tongen earned his B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh, and M.S. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University, all in Applied Mathematics.