College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean Venetria Patton released the following statement on Friday, July 21:

Dear Colleagues,

I’m excited to announce that two new associate deans will join the LAS Dean’s Office on Aug. 16, 2023. 

Shaowen Wang will step into the role of Associate Dean for Life and Physical Sciences. In his new role, Shaowen will serve as a liaison between the college and our diverse academic units in the life and physical sciences. Since 2017, Shaowen has been head* of the Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science, which he joined in 2007. He also leads the CyberGIS Center for Advanced Digital and Spatial Studies and the Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment and since 2022 has been a faculty fellow with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation.

Cari Vanderpool will be the college’s first Associate Dean for Research. In this role, she will establish an LAS Research Office to expand the college’s already significant research enterprise, broaden research collaborations, and help connect faculty and students with the resources they need for research. Cari joined the faculty of the Department of Microbiology in 2006 and has served as the associate head in since 2019. She also has served as the interim associate dean for research and advanced studies at the College of Veterinary Medicine since 2021.

Please join me in welcoming Shaowen and Cari to the team!

Sincerely,
Venetria K. Patton
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*Shaowen's term as department head will conclude on August 15 and Dr. Julie Cidell will begin as head on August 16.