People on the Move

A UC Riverside professor is heading up a research team that is investigating the possibility of life on other planets. Biogeochemistry professor Timothy Lyons is overseeing a multi-disciplinary team that has received an $8 million grant from NASA’s Astrobiology Institute to conduct a five-year study, according to a report in …

Michael Burrows has been named acting director of the Inland Valley Development Agency and the San Bernardino International Airport Authority. Burrows will receive an annual salary of $225,000 while he fills the interim position, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise. Both of those agencies are responsible for the development …

A former executive with Harrah’s Entertainment in Las Vegas has been named interim publisher and chief executive of the Orange County Register. Richard Mirman started work Monday, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise. He replaces Aaron Kushner, who will remain principal owner and chief executive of Freedom Communications, the …

Riverside County Regional Medical Center has a new chief executive officer. Zareh Sarrafian, 50, took over as head of the county-run hospital in Moreno Valley earlier this week, replacing interim CEO Lowell Johnson, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise. Sarrafian, Riverside resident, will be paid $345,536 annually. He will …

A lecturer at Cal State San Bernardino has been recognized for his efforts to mentor students. Jose Rivera has been named a recipient of the 2014 Young Professional Mentor award by the University of Alabama’s Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, according to a report in the Inland Valley …

Robert DeChaine of Claremont has been named one of five recipients of Cal State Los Angeles’ President’s Distinguished Professor Award. DeChaine, a professor of liberal studies and communications studies, teaches courses in rhetorical theory, cultural studies, human rights, globalization and immigration, according to a report in the Inland Valley Daily …