Bonnie Johnson
September 15, 2025
Media ArticleCynthia Sides steps into a new leadership position as associate vice president for agriculture research and associate director for research development and compliance at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The station is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and serves all 75 counties in the state.
A lifelong Arkansan, Sides grows up south of Fort Smith and attends Greenwood schools. She earns bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and English from Arkansas Tech University and a doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Arkansas. For more than a decade, she helped to connect researchers with business innovation and grant opportunities across Arkansas.
“We didn’t have a large farm. We had some acreage south of Fort Smith,” Sides said. “We had a large garden every year I worked on with my dad. I was part of the planting and the eating. My mom could prepare some amazing dinners. There are many fond memories, and coming back to the area also brings back those memories.”
The newly created position adds to the administrative team of the Division of Agriculture. Sides works alongside Jean-François Meullenet, senior associate vice president for agriculture research and director of the experiment station, and Nathan Slaton, associate vice president for agriculture and associate director for operations.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Sides to the experiment station as our new associate director for research and compliance,” Meullenet said. “Her vast experience in research administration strengthens our team's competencies and will allow UADA further to grow its research and impact in Arkansas and beyond.”
Sides plans to broaden external funding, guide proposal development, and support training. “That’s one of the things about this new position and the mission itself — it touches all Arkansans' lives, and what we’re doing will better their lives,” Sides said.
She also focuses on community relationships, sustainable farming practices, workforce development, and education initiatives while traveling across the state to meet with researchers, agencies, and local partners to strengthen research opportunities and grant compliance.
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