Re: Dean, School of Engineering
To: All employees
August 4, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
Having conducted a robust nationwide search, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rakesh Goel as the next Dean, School of Engineering.
Dr. Goel is a seasoned academic leader who currently serves as Executive Associate Dean in the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). In his current role, he is directly responsible for faculty hiring and mentoring, academic personnel and human resources processes, managing a $40M state-side budget and a $40M gift and endowment fund, overseeing research expenditures of $10M, and managing day-to-day operations of the college. He has been instrumental in working with faculty, external partners and governmental agencies, which previously led to three different congressional appropriations totaling $12.5M to support a thermal vacuum chamber, unmanned aerial systems, and a high-performance computing and hypersonic wind tunnel infrastructure at Cal Poly.
Prior to his arrival at Cal Poly, Dr. Goel was Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Syracuse University and worked at the Earthquake Engineering Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley as an Assistant Research Engineer. Dr. Goel has industry experience both in India and the U.S. in the field of civil and structural engineering. He is a registered civil engineer in the State of California and is a certified safety assessment program worker for the California Office of Emergency Services.
Dr. Goel is a national and international leader in the discipline of earthquake analysis and design structures. His work has been adapted by seismic codes and guidelines in the US, such as ASCE 7, FEMA-356, California Building Code, and ASCE 61. He has authored/co-authored more than 150 publications and has been awarded the Amman Fellowship, the Huber Research Prize, and the Norman Medal by the American Society of Civil Engineers. He has also received the Northrop Grumman Research and Development Award for his research accomplishments at Cal Poly. He is Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), where he has chaired three prominent committees and served on the editorial board for the Journal of Structural Engineering and Earthquake Spectra.
Dr. Goel earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, India. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in structural engineering from the UC Berkeley.
I would like to thank everyone who took time out of their schedules to meet with the candidates for the Dean, School of Engineering position. A special thank you to the search advisory committee, which included:
- Betsy Dumont, Dean, School of Natural Sciences (Chair)
- Alejandro Gutierrez, Assistant Teaching Professor (Senate Faculty Representative)
- Siddaiah Yarra, Assistant Teaching Professor (Senate Faculty Representative)
- Eva de Alba, Associate Professor and Department Chair (Ladder Rank Faculty Representative)
- Safeeq Khan, Assistant Adjunct Professor (Non-Senate Academic Council Faculty Representative)
- Anita Bhappu, Associate Professor, Department Chair and Associate Dean for Student Success (Academic & Administrative Leadership, School of Engineering)
- Roseanna Barrón, Executive Assistant Dean & Chief of Staff (Administrative Leadership, School of Engineering)
- Luke Reed, Instructional Lab Coordinator (Staff Representative, School of Engineering)
- Christina Mayo, Undergraduate Academic Advisor (Staff Assembly Representative)
- Ariell Smith (Graduate Student Representative)
- Ethan Eric Murcia (Undergraduate Student Representative)
I would also like to take a moment to thank Mark Matsumoto, Dean, School of Engineering, for his service in the role. His contributions to the role and the university have been invaluable.
Please join me in welcoming our new colleague and thanking our current colleagues for their service.
Dr. Goel will join us on Oct. 1, 2022. I look forward to drawing on his experience and very much look forward to introducing him to our campus.
Yours,
Gregg Camfield
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
