Lynden A. Archer, the James A. Friend Family Distinguished Professor in Engineering, has been named the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
The College of Engineering at Cornell University houses 207 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, 42 research faculty and lecturers, 8 professors of practice, 170 staff members, and 3,239 undergraduate and 2,115 graduate students.
“I am excited and humbled by the prospect of leading Cornell Engineering at this challenging moment,” Dr. Archer said. “Excited, because our history teaches that it is precisely at times like these that successful institutions seize the moment to define what they value, what they aspire to become and what investments are needed to realize these aspirations. And I’m humbled by the quality and durability of the investments our predecessors made in making the college what it is today.
“Indeed, I cannot help but think of this legacy as a clarion call to service for all Cornellians to – in our time – make the investments in people, infrastructure and programs that will preserve our legacy as a premier institution for learning that is accessible to any person,” he added.
A Cornell faculty member since 2000, Dr. Archer directed the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from 2010 to 2016. In the fall of 2017, he was named the David Croll Director of the Cornell Energy Systems Institute, a position he will maintain until a new director is selected.
Professor Archer is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with an emphasis in polymer science from the University of Southern California in 1989 and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Stanford University in 1993.