Rollin Charles Richmond was the president of Humboldt State University in Arcata, California from May 2002 to July 2014. Before taking that position he was provost and genetics professor at Iowa State University, leading research on the genetic mechanisms of fruit flies evolution and effects of cocaine on Drosophila. He has also served in various positions at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, the University of South Florida, and Indiana University.