The College of Science welcomes Gregory Crawford as the new dean, effective July 1. Dean Crawford, who has also been appointed to the physics faculty, personifies the future of interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial collaboration—focused on solving problems and making a difference—toward which the College and the University as a whole are advancing.
The new dean’s career displays an enthusiasm for making connections. He holds a Ph.D. in chemical physics, a master’s degree in physics, and a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics. He most recently served as dean of engineering at Brown University. Before joining academia as a member of the Brown faculty in 1996, he was a member of the research staff at Xerox and a postdoctoral research associate at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. His cutting-edge work in liquid crystal and polymer physics, plus other aspects of his basic and applied research, has implications in photonics, displays, nanoscience, and biomedical devices.
Dean Crawford says his meetings with College of Science faculty and students—and his outreach to the College of Engineering and other colleges and departments—have only just begun. He has been impressed by Notre Dame’s resources and “unity of purpose” to make a difference tackling humanity’s big challenges in such areas as health and the environment. He will be building upon a firm foundation of heightened student interest in the sciences and the College’s growing resources and reputation for excellence—legacies of Joseph Marino, who is retiring as dean after a six-year term and continuing as a valued colleague on the chemistry faculty.
The College of Science joins in Dean Crawford’s commitment: helping Notre Dame to “be the best research university and have the best undergraduate programs and teachers in the country.” Our shared agenda is ambitious and integrative, and it starts right now. In the dean’s own words, “We’ll think about what we can do for Notre Dame and what Notre Dame can do for the community, the country, and the world.”