Richard Church, Professor of Geography, is the new Associate Dean for the Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences (MLPS), part of the UCSB College of Letters and Science, effective October 1st, 2010. As the Associate Dean for MLPS, Rick provides support in the areas of academic personnel, development, FTE planning, and other matters in the Dean’s office.
“Academic departments and programs form the core of the College of Letters and Science and are grouped into three academic divisions: the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts; the Division of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences; and the Division of Social Sciences. These divisions collectively hold close to 50 departments and programs, as well as numerous interdisciplinary centers and research units, in which some 700 faculty teach and conduct original research. Faculty collaborate with colleagues in the College of Engineering, the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, and other units” (source).
MLPS is home to world-renowned scientists and researchers, including four Nobel Prize winners (two in physics and two in chemistry). The Division includes 10 departments (Chemistry and Biochemistry; Earth Science, Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology; Geography; Mathematics; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Physics; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Speech and Hearing Sciences; and Statistics and Applied Probability), 4 Interdepartmental Programs (Bio-molecular Science and Engineering, the Marine Science Graduate Program, Environmental Studies, and Financial Mathematics and Statistics), and about 20 Institutes and Centers (ranging from the Brain Imaging Center and the California Nanosystems Institute to the Center for Spatial Studies and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics).