To: PME Community Members
From: Paul Alivisatos, President, and Katherine Baicker, Provost
Subject: Stuart Rowan Appointed as Interim PME Dean
We are pleased to announce that Stuart Rowan, the Barry L. MacLean Professor for Molecular Engineering and a Professor of Chemistry, will serve as interim dean of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, effective immediately. This follows Nadya Mason’s recent move into her new role as Vice President for Research for the University.
A distinguished scholar of polymeric materials, Stuart joined the University’s faculty in 2016. In that time he has established himself as an exceptional scholar and mentor both in the PME and in the PSD. He previously served as the director of the Chicago Materials Science and Engineering Research Center. He was recently announced as the faculty director of the Energy Technologies Initiative. Beyond our campus, he holds an appointment at Argonne National Laboratory. His research has earned him a host of accolades, including an NSF CAREER award and an NSF Special Creativity Award. He is recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), an ACS Fellow, an ACS POLY Fellow, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Stuart is also editor-in-chief of the American Chemical Society’s Macro Letters, a leading journal in polymer science.
PME has developed a distinctive strategy to the advancement of engineering through a thematic approach to controlling matter and energy at the biomolecular and quantum scales to address key global challenges. Beyond its core research areas, it serves as a strategic connection point, working across units of the University, with the national laboratories, and with outside partners. Growing educational programs are serving undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. Partnerships, such as the one announced recently with IonQ, continue to broaden the reach of PME’s scholarship. We are excited to work with Stuart in his interim role to ensure that we continue to seize the great opportunities ahead. We are confident that PME will benefit from Stuart’s breadth of experience and expertise during this interim period.
We will now launch the search for PME's next dean, which begins with the election of a faculty Dean Search Committee. In the meantime, please join us in appreciation to Stuart for taking on this interim role and in congratulations to Nadya on her appointment.