Appointment of Bruce Dunn as Interim Dean of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering

Dear Colleagues:

In light of Jayathi Murthy’s recent appointment as the next president of Oregon State University, I write to share the news that Bruce Dunn — UCLA Samueli’s associate dean for research and physical resources and the Nippon Sheet Glass Professor of Materials Science and Engineering — has agreed to serve as interim dean of UCLA Samueli. He will assume the deanship on August 1 and serve for one year as we complete the search for the school’s next permanent dean.

An engineering faculty member since 1980, Professor Dunn possesses deep ties to UCLA Samueli and is widely respected for his scholarly achievement, collaborative nature, fairness and skill in management. As chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 2018 to 2021, he hired excellent new faculty, acquired important resources, and maintained the department’s outstanding educational and research programs throughout the challenges of the pandemic. In his current role as associate dean of research and physical resources, he has overseen UCLA Samueli’s sponsored projects and research infrastructure.

Professor Dunn is widely known for his research on the synthesis of inorganic and hybrid materials and their applications in electrochemical energy storage devices such as batteries and capacitors. He has received a number of honors for his work including a Fulbright research fellowship, invited professorships in Europe and Japan and awards from the Department of Energy, among others. He earned his Ph.D. in ceramics and master’s degree in materials science from UCLA, and his bachelor’s degree in ceramic science from Rutgers University. He was a staff scientist at the General Electric Research and Development Center prior to joining our engineering faculty.

Given his character, his institutional history at UCLA Samueli and his experience at many different levels of the organization, Professor Dunn is well positioned to provide effective leadership and continue the school’s momentum during this period of transition. I hope you will join me in wishing outgoing Dean Murthy the very best as she prepares to take up the Oregon State University presidency, and in thanking Professor Dunn for stepping into this leadership role.

Sincerely,

Michael S. Levine
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost