Search committee announced for next dean of the College of Science at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech has formed a search committee to oversee a national search for the next dean of the College of Science.

As the head of the college, the dean sets the academic tenor, promotes a culture of outstanding innovation and scholarship, and represents its faculty, students, and staff to the university and beyond. The dean also has financial and administrative management responsibility for the college, guides and oversees its annual operating budget, advocates to the central administration for investment in new initiatives, leads its fundraising efforts, and provides effective leadership for the college’s faculty and administrative staff.

The new dean will replace Sally Morton, who left Virginia Tech in December 2020 to accept a position as executive vice president of the Knowledge Enterprise at Arizona State University.

Lee Learman, dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, will chair the search committee and guide the application/nomination, candidate review and interview, campus engagement, and finalist selection processes. Search committee members are as follows:

• Montasir Abbas, professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Nicole Abaid, associate professor, Mathematics
• Lara Anderson, associate professor, Physics
• Josh Clemons, advanced instructor, Mathematics
• Sarah Clinton, associate professor and associate director, Neuroscience
• Daniel Crawford, University Distinguished Professor, Chemistry, and director of Molecular Sciences Software Institute
• Trish Dove, University Distinguished Professor, Geosciences
• Alan Esker, professor and department head, Chemistry
• Henry Hilgendorf, lab demonstration manager, Physics
• Matt Holt, professor and department head, Agriculture and Applied Economics
• Leanna House, associate professor, Statistics
• Russell Jones, professor, Psychology
• Liwu Li, professor, Biological Sciences
• Charlotte Parks, academic advisor and recruiter, AIS
• Sudipta Sarangi, professor and department head, Economics
• Jamie Smyth, associate professor, Biology/Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
• Chevon Thorpe, collegiate assistant professor, Biochemistry, and director of CALS Inclusion and Diversity Programs
• Chixia Tian, collegiate assistant professor, Academy of Integrated Science

The search committee will be supported by a staff that includes Amy Hogan, assistant provost for Leadership Initiatives, and Leslie Sullivan, coordinator for Faculty Affairs.

Virginia Tech has engaged Isaacson, Miller to assist with this search and welcomes nominations for the position. The position description, application/nomination process, and search updates will be posted shortly and available on the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost website.