Robert S. Prezant is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Southern Connecticut State University. As Provost Dr. Prezant is responsible for all academic programs and their administrative oversight, budget maintenance for academic affairs, growth of our research portfolio, and a growing list of collaborations and partnerships, both locally and internationally. As Provost he oversees offices ranging from work force development to institutional research and assessment to the Honors College. Dr. Prezant previously served as Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University, Dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Queens College, CUNY, and Chair of the Biology Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  As a biologist and administrator, he has been awarded almost $20M in external funding, from both public and private agencies and donors, to support research and academic programs. His administrative efforts have resulted in creation and support of several Centers and Institutes (including the PSE&G Institute for Sustainability Studies, the Passaic River Institute, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Teaching and Learning), new degree programs (including PhDs in Environmental Management and in Math Education), corporate partnerships, and global affiliations. Dr. Prezant has over 50 articles in peer reviewed journals including PLoS One, Science, Marine Pollution Bulletin, and The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.  He was President of the American Malacological Society and served on the NJ Sea Grant Board of Directors, NJ R&D Council, Board of Trustees of Hackensack University Medical Center Mountainside, the Liberty Science Center Learning & Teaching Committee, as a Governor appointed member of the Passaic River Flood Commission, and on the Board of the SCSU Center of Excellence on Autism Disorders. He is a named University Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he also received the Outstanding Research Award. For his work in founding the biennial PharmFest program, he received a recognition award from the Health Care Institute of New Jersey (HINJ).  Dr. Prezant founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of the international peer-reviewed journal, The American Malacological Bulletin and served as Editor of Perspectives in Malacology and The Second International Corbicula Symposium. He has recently served as President of the East River Watershed Research Institute.  His research has focused on environmental modification of shell microstructure, benthic biodiversity, molluscan reproductive ecology, impact of microplastics on filter feeding mollusks, and bivalve dispersal mechanisms.  His lab at Southern has examined the impact of environmental perturbations and contaminants, including proton pump inhibitors, road salts, and microplastics, on the relative health and shell biomineralization in the invasive Asian clam, the biomechanics of freshwater mussel shell, and the microstructure of photoreceptors in lyonsiid bivalves. He has taught courses in Marine Biology, Marine Ecology, Invertebrate Zoology, Malacology, Electron Microscopy, Oceanography, and Environmental Sciences.  Dr. Prezant holds a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the University of Delaware, an MS in Marine Science from Northeastern University, and a B.A. in Biology from Adelphi University.