Interim Dean of the PSD

To: PSD Affiliates and Senior Administrators
From: Paul Alivisatos, President, and Katherine Baicker, Provost
Subject: Interim Dean of the PSD
Date: January 18, 2024

As we announced earlier today, Angela Olinto will soon depart the University to assume the role of provost at Columbia University. Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Ka Yee C. Lee has agreed to serve as interim dean of the Division of the Physical Sciences. Given the deep expertise she has gained from more than two decades of scholarship and service in roles spanning the faculty, central administration, and executive leadership, we are confident that the division will benefit greatly from the leadership she will provide to guide PSD’s important work. She will begin as interim dean on February 5.

A distinguished academic whose research focuses on membrane biophysics, Ka Yee is the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry, the James Franck Institute, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, and the College. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Trustees for NORC, the Field Museum Board, the Chapin Hall Board of Directors, and the UChicago Charter School Board of Directors. She also was the inaugural chair of the Faculty Advisory Board for The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong. Ka Yee has garnered numerous honors throughout her career, including recognition as a Searle Scholar, a David and Lucile Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering, and a Sloan Research Fellow. She is also an elected member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a fellow of the Biophysical Society, and a fellow of the American Physical Society.

In addition to these accolades, she has received the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Furthermore, she holds the distinction of being the inaugural recipient of the Arthur L. Kelly Prize for Exceptional Faculty Service in the Physical Sciences Division. Previously, Ka Yee served as provost of the University, vice provost for research, the director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and associate director of the James Franck Institute. These accomplishments and experiences underscore her outstanding contributions across the mission of PSD and UChicago.

For the remainder of the year, Ka Yee will continue to support a number of the major projects within her current portfolio, including the Marine Biological Laboratory, the University’s engagement in Hong Kong, and the Financial Systems Transformation project underway.

We are grateful for Ka Yee’s many contributions to the University. Please join us in appreciation as she takes on this important interim leadership role.

Keywords: 
Leadership