The following message was sent to members of the Rice community May 5:
Dear Rice community,
I’m pleased to share that Christopher Johns-Krull , professor of physics and astronomy, has agreed to serve as interim executive vice president for research, beginning July 1.
Chris is a widely respected member of our faculty whose deep commitment to research, service and academic leadership makes him exceptionally well suited to guide the university’s research enterprise during this transition.
In addition to his scientific accomplishments, he has held important leadership roles at Rice, including speaker of the Faculty Senate and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His collaborative approach and institutional knowledge will be invaluable during this interim capacity.
As previously announced , Ramamoorthy Ramesh will step down from his administrative role in August to focus on his research. I remain deeply grateful to Ramesh for his outstanding leadership and for the momentum he has helped build in advancing research excellence at Rice.
The search for a permanent executive vice president for research is underway, and I thank the members of the search committee , led by Dean of Engineering and Computing Luay Nakhleh, for their ongoing efforts to identify the university’s next research leader.
Please join me in thanking Chris for stepping into this critical role in service to the university.
Warmly,
President Reginald DesRoches