News Release
Juan C. Lasheras Named Interim Dean of the Jacobs School
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| Juan C. Lasheras, Interim Dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. |
San Diego, Calif., Dec. 14, 2012 – The University of California, San Diego announced Dec. 14 the appointment of Juan C. Lasheras as Interim Dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering, effective Jan. 1, 2013. Lasheras will serve in this important role during the international search for the next dean of the Jacobs School. Dean Frieder Seible has decided to step down as dean after 10 years of exemplary service and 30 years as a professor at UC San Diego, and will retire as distinguished professor emeritus and dean emeritus on April 1, 2013.
“I am delighted that Professor Lasheras has agreed to serve as Interim Dean during this important time of transition for the Jacobs School of Engineering,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Under Frieder's guidance, the Jacobs School has grown immensely over the last decade – in reputation, size and program offerings – and is now recognized as one of the top-ranked engineering schools in the world.”
Lasheras is the Stanford S. and Beverly P. Penner Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the Jacobs School, an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, a distinguished professor in the Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Bioengineering, and a dedicated and celebrated teacher. He served as Chairman of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from 1999 to 2004, and led the department’s faculty hiring and growth in the fields of medical and biological applications, environmental engineering and nanomaterials. Lasheras works at the intersection of biology, medicine and engineering, and is a world-leading expert in fluid mechanics, turbulent flows, two-phase flows and on the mechanics of cell migration and invasion. He is the Founding Director of the Center for Medical Device and Instrumentation at UC San Diego’s Institute of Engineering in Medicine, and a Co-Director of the Master of Advanced Study program in Medical Device Engineering at the Jacobs School. Lasheras will assume the role of Interim Dean, after having served as Acting Dean for the Fall 2012 quarter during Seible’s sabbatical leave.
"Professor Lasheras is well-suited to provide steadfast leadership until a new permanent Dean is identified. He is well-respected among his faculty colleagues and has a record of excellent service as an administrative leader within the Jacobs School," said Suresh Subramani, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
In January, UC San Diego will begin an international search for the fourth dean of the Jacobs School. The Jacobs School Dean job posting is here. The appointment will be made at the discretion of Chancellor Khosla and Executive Vice Chancellor Subramani.
The Jacobs School of Engineering includes 197 faculty, 1,548 graduate students, 5,638 undergraduate students and 300 staff members. Annual research expenditures in the Jacobs School totaled $163.6 million in Fiscal Year 2012. The Dean, reporting directly to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, is the academic-administrative leader of the Jacobs School of Engineering, comprised of six academic departments – Bioengineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, NanoEngineering and Structural Engineering – each with a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs and research facilities.
Successful candidates should have prior experience in academic administration and must have a distinguished record of scholarship, teaching, service, fundraising and commitment to diversity. The Dean will hold the Walter J. Zable Chair in Engineering and will be appointed to serve at 100 percent time for a five-year term, renewable following appropriate review.
Media Contacts
Daniel Kane
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-3262
dbkane@ucsd.edu
Ioana Patringenaru
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-822-0899
ipatrin@ucsd.edu