President Nellis selects Ohio University’s new Executive Vice President and Provost

Photo courtesy of: Dr. Chaden DjalaliDr. Chaden Djalali will officially join OHIO on August 1, 2018 as its new Executive Vice President and Provost

Today, Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis appointed Dr. Chaden Djalali as the next Executive Vice President and Provost of Ohio University.

Dr. Djalali is currently serving as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa and is a professor of Physics and Astronomy. He will officially assume the duties of Executive Vice President and Provost on August 1, 2018.

President Nellis noted within his announcement to OHIO’s campus that he is excited for Dr. Djalali to join OHIO’s leadership team, and that he has a reputation for working with faculty in a collaborative manner and successfully engaging with external partners, while personally maintaining an impressive record of research.

“Dr. Djalali has a distinguished record as scholar, teacher, and academic leader,” President Nellis said. “In my conversations with him, it has become clear that Chaden possesses the critical balance of experience as a dedicated scholar and teacher and as a visionary leader of a comprehensive and diverse college at a large public university.”

In addition to serving as Dean at Iowa, Dr. Djalali previously served as a Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Physics department at University of South Carolina. Prior to his tenure and service at University of South Carolina, Dr. Djalali was a Visiting Physicist at Michigan State University and a Tenured Research Scientist at IPN-Orsay, France. Dr. Djalali earned his BS and MA degrees in Physics from the University of Paris XI, a doctorate in Nuclear Physics from IPN-Orsay in Paris, and a These d’Etat (post-doctoral degree) with highest honors from IPN-Orsay. Dr. Djalali is a member of the Time Reversal Experiment with Kaons (TREK) Collaboration, the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) and Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (JPARC) of Tsukuba, Japan and a Member of the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Collaboration, Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF)/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) of Newport News, Virginia. He has served as a guest scientist at the Laser Electron Gamma Source (LEGS) Collaboration in Upton, New York; at Laboratoire national Saturne in Saclay, France; and at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Among his many academic accolades, Dr. Djalali was recognized with a Carolina Distinguished Professorship from 2007-2012.

Dr. Djalali was selected following a search that spanned fall and spring semesters of this academic year.

President Nellis thanked the search committee for its diligent work toward identifying OHIO’s next Executive Vice President and Provost within his message to the campus community and noted that the committee members carefully considered its candidates and served as excellent ambassadors for all faculty, staff, and student constituencies of Ohio University. He equally shared a special “thank you” with the search committee co-chairs, Dr. Elizabeth Sayrs, Dean of University College and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost and Dr. Susan Williams, Professor of Anatomy in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Nellis also took a moment to laud Interim Provost Sayrs and noted that Ohio University owes her a tremendous debt of gratitude for the work she has done since stepping into the role of interim Executive Vice President and Provost in January.

“It is the rare individual who steps up without hesitation when called upon to lead, who acts in full grace towards those around her, and quietly, assertively makes significant, lasting, positive change. Elizabeth has done just that,” President Nellis said. “She has earned not only my admiration, but my unequivocal respect. We are fortunate that she remains a vital part of the academic leadership team as Dean of University College and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.”

When accepting Dr. Nellis’ offer to join the Bobcat Family, Chaden spoke of his visits to campus and his interactions with faculty, staff, students and community members.

“I see vibrance, an energy among my new colleagues and on the faces of the students,” Dr. Djalali said. “Ohio University is poised to become a national leader in student success by building on its impressive record of experiential learning, undergraduate and graduate research, and community and regional engagement. Together, we will strengthen OHIO’s reputation as a quality research institution that transforms our students by providing top-tier educational experiences.”

Dr. Djalali comes to Athens with his spouse, Dr. Marta Gomez-Diaz, and their two daughters.