Dr. Jan Nisbet has been the Senior Vice Provost for Research at The University of New Hampshire, Durham, September 21, 2009, and served as its and NH EPSCoR State Director.

Internationally known for her work in the field of disability services, Jan serves as an Associate Professor of Education as well as Founding Director of the university's Institute on Disability. She received the UNH Alumni Association's most prestigious award, the Pettee Medal, for extraordinary achievement and distinguished service to the state, the nation and the world in 2007. She also has received the UNH Excellence in Research, and Excellence in Public Service awards.

She founded the Institute on Disability in 1987 and has successfully competed for more than $100 million in federal and state funding. Jan has demonstrated creativity and leadership in a number of arenas. She has worked effectively with agencies at the state and federal level, and has demonstrated the ability to judge her own success by the success of those who work with her. She understands opportunities for support, as well as the regulatory hurdles that need to be addressed. Under her guidance, the institute has set as its vision a world where all people, including those living with disabilities, are fully engaged members of their communities and where support is available to help individuals and families achieve independence, productivity and a satisfying quality of life.

Jan served as President of the Executive Board of Directors at The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, a national organization focused on improving the lives of persons with severe disabilities and their families through research, training and advocacy; she chaired the Program Committee for the national Association of University Centers on Disability, and is a founding board member for the Endowment for Health.

She has published extensively in the field and has conducted research for more than 25 years. She holds B.S. from Simmons College, in 1977, M.S., from University of Wisconsin at Madison, in 1980, and Ph.D., from ibid., in 1982.