Hi, I'm Micah.

I am a team builder and creative leader, a former librarian, and an advocate for information access. I also have an undying love for the academic study of contemporary popular (sub)culture.

Some brief details:

• I left the higher education industry in 2023 and am finding lots of cool ways to integrate that skill set into a business and innovation environment.
• My 1 page resume is here (PDF)
• My CV is here
• I was a Fulbright Scholar in the winter of 2018-2019. My project was hosted by Maastricht University Libraries in The Netherlands and the Royal Danish Library/University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
• My career began at Florida State University, also my alma mater thrice over, where I founded the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship.

Highlights:

• I won the Best AI Hack Award at the Digital Science company retreat in 2025.
• I gave a presentation at Cambridge University on 24 Oct., 2019, which made me feel like I had achieved something really awesome.
• I served as a Guest Facilitator for the (virtual) global eLife Innovation Sprint (2020)

Biographical sketch:

Micah Vandegrift is a strategic leader and innovator dedicated to building and guiding high-performing teams that transform complex strategy into actionable solutions across the science, technology, and research sectors. As a Client Configuration and Support Lead at Digital Science, he applies his expertise in user-centered design and digital infrastructure to drive business efficiency. He has initiated AI integrations that improved team efficiency and AI utility by 75% and streamlined client onboarding processes for 63.5% faster completion.

Micah’s unique career is rooted in maximizing the accessibility and public impact of knowledge. He previously served as a Senior Strategist and Team Lead for the NIH’s All of Us Research Program, where he directed a multidisciplinary strategy team to pinpoint user pain points, resulting in a 45% reduction in onboarding time. Prior to this, he was NC State University’s Open Knowledge Librarian and the Lead Principal Investigator for a $414,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, pioneering a tech accelerator that launched 50% of incubated projects. He also served as a Fulbright-Schuman Research Scholar in Europe, studying open science policy and infrastructure.

Earlier in his career, Micah founded and directed the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship at Florida State University (FSU), growing and leading a team of seven new employees and establishing an innovative service portfolio.

Micah holds a Master of Library and Information Studies (M.L.I.S) and an M.A. in American and Florida Studies, both from FSU. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, he enjoys soccer, camping, and music, and has proudly competed in the World Beard and Mustache Championships.