Vijay Dhir to Step Down as Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science in June 2015
UCLA Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
To: Administrative Officers, Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, Faculty and Staff in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Vice Chancellors
Dear Colleagues:
Vijay Dhir, Dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has informed me that he would like to step down as dean on June 30, 2015, and return to the faculty in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
A member of the UCLA faculty since 1974, Vijay has worked to place UCLA Engineering at the forefront of interdisciplinary engineering education and research. He served as vice chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from 1988 to 1991, and as chair from 1994 to 2000. In 2001 he was appointed associate dean for academic and faculty issues for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and served as interim dean from February 2002 to March 2003, when he was appointed dean.
I want to thank Vijay for his outstanding leadership of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and for his tireless work to enhance the school’s stature and establish it as a hub for interdisciplinary research, education and service. During his tenure as dean, Vijay has overseen a successful fundraising program that has generated more than $200 million in philanthropic support and stewarded capital projects including the construction of Engineering V (opened in 2007) and Engineering VI (currently underway), and the ongoing renovation of Boelter Hall. He also has led efforts resulting in the recruitment of 70 new faculty. Since 2002, the school’s rankings have risen significantly, annual extramural funding has increased to $105.8 million from $54.9 million and, with support from the federal government and private industry, the school established 10 centers to spur research and development on emerging technologies.
As distinguished professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, Vijay leads the Boiling Heat Transfer Lab, which has conducted pioneering work in fundamental and applied sciences involving boiling, an efficient process of heat removal. During nearly 40 years at UCLA, he has published more than 300 papers and has advised more than 40 doctoral students and 50 master’s students. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Nuclear Society and serves on a number of committees for the National Research Council. Vijay has been honored with numerous awards and distinctions including ASME’s Heat Transfer Memorial Award, Max Jakob Memorial Award and 75th Anniversary Medal; the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Donald Q. Kern award; and the Technical Achievement Award from the American Nuclear Society’s thermal hydraulics division. In 2006, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Chancellor Block and I are confident that Vijay will continue to be a tremendous asset to the school and to UCLA during the next two years, and we look forward to his ongoing contributions when he returns to the faculty and continues his scholarly work in the years to follow.
Next spring, I will form a search committee to identify candidates for a new dean, and I will keep you informed as we initiate the search.
Sincerely,
Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost