Dear Colleagues:
I am writing to share that Miguel A. García-Garibay, senior dean of the UCLA College and dean of the Division of Physical Sciences, will be stepping down from his roles at the end of the next academic year, on June 30, 2027, after many years of distinguished leadership. We will begin a search for the next dean of physical sciences in fall 2026 and work with College leadership to identify and name a new senior dean.
Since his appointment as dean of the Division of Physical Sciences a decade ago, the division has grown in scale, impact and reputation. Now encompassing six departments, eight institutes and centers, 4,000 undergraduate majors and 1,000 graduate students, it remains one of the great engines of innovation at UCLA. Under Dean García-Garibay’s leadership, the division strengthened its position and evolved into a uniquely entrepreneurial academic enterprise. In an increasingly uncertain economic and political climate, the division expanded its annual budget with a diverse approach that included intellectual property royalties; a strong infusion of philanthropy for the development of more than 40 endowed chairs; and multiple scholarships and research programs, combined with the creation of self-supporting degrees and a substantial increase in extramural funding.
Dean García-Garibay has led major investments in faculty renewal, with more than 80 new hires in Physical Sciences from a broad range of intellectual, academic and cultural backgrounds, contributing to a diverse and dynamic academic community. The faculty continues to be recognized at the highest levels, with multiple elections to national academies and accounting for eight of the nine faculty Nobel Prize winners at UCLA. Dean García-Garibay has supported and championed interdisciplinary initiatives, undergraduate research and new academic programs. In cutting-edge areas such as data theory, climate science, quantum information science, planetary science, and fusion, he has helped solidify UCLA’s position as a leading institution well into the future. He also partnered with the Division of Life Sciences to develop the Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences (CEILS), a collaborative community of instructors committed to advancing teaching excellence, assessment, diversity and scholarship.
As senior dean of the College since 2022, he has been a key representative bringing the College point of view to campus leadership and decision-making processes. He has helped steer the College and UCLA through challenging moments over the past several years with optimism, enthusiasm and an entrepreneurial spirit. An exciting initiative in progress is the Deans of the College Lecture Awards, an annual event to showcase and celebrate the breadth and impact of research and scholarship covered by the faculty.
Dean García-Garibay joined the UCLA chemistry and biochemistry faculty in 1992 and served as department vice chair (2005–08) and chair (2012–16), as well as diversity advisor for the Division of Physical Sciences (2009–12). His research group has earned worldwide recognition in the fields of organic photochemistry, solid-state organic chemistry and physical organic chemistry. During his time as dean, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He is a frequently sought-after speaker, delivering plenary lectures at international conferences and top universities. Beyond campus, Dean García-Garibay’s engagement with the broader community includes his support for student-led outreach events like Exploring Your Universe, where students and faculty welcome the community for a day on campus in one of the largest science fairs.
Chancellor Frenk and I are grateful for Miguel’s decades of steady and strategic leadership at the College and at UCLA. He has left a lasting foundation for continued excellence and innovation. We will all have the coming academic year to show our appreciation for his many contributions before he returns to the division’s faculty next summer.
Sincerely,
Darnell Hunt
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost