A national search is now underway to identify the next dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Engineering, UD President Dennis Assanis and Provost Laura Carlson announced today.

A search advisory committee has been appointed, and an executive search firm has been retained.

Levi Thompson, who has served as the dean of the college since 2018, will continue to serve until July 31, 2024, after which he will take a yearlong administrative leave before rejoining the faculty. He is the Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering, and in 2021, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

“We greatly appreciate Levi’s dedication to the University and the College of Engineering, and we will be looking for a bold leader who can build on the accomplishments and momentum in the College of Engineering,” Assanis said.

The dean reports directly to the provost. “Under Dean Thompson’s leadership, the College of Engineering’s national and global reputation for excellence in teaching, research and engagement has grown, and the next dean will be well positioned to continue this trajectory of academic excellence,” Carlson said.

Co-chairing the search advisory committee for the next dean are Jamie Phillips, professor and chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Millicent Sullivan, Alvin B. and Julie O. Stiles Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and department chair.

Members of the committee are:

• Kenneth Barner, Charles Black Evans Professor of Electrical Engineering
• Jennifer Buckley, Professor, Mechanical Engineering
• Emily Day, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
• Matthew Doty, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
• Joseph M. Fox, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Julia Hatoum, undergraduate student, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Monique Head, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Tom Hsu, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director, Center for Applied Coastal Research
• Arthi Jayaraman, Centennial Term Professor for Excellence in Research and Education, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• LaShanda Korley, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
• Kelvin Lee, Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Director, National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals
• Darien Nguyen, graduate student, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Srikanth Pilla, Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Director, Center for Composite Materials
• Mary Remmler, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Weisong Shi, Professor and Chair, Computer and Information Sciences
• Cathy Wu, Unidel Edward G. Jefferson Chair in Engineering and Computer Science and Director, Data Science Institute and Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Assisting with the search will be Education Executives, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in searches for higher education leadership.