Patrick Fox named dean of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology

Ohio University Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Elizabeth Sayrs has named Dr. Patrick Fox as dean of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

Fox currently serves as the department head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and as the John A. and Harriette K. Shaw Professor in the College of Engineering at Penn State University.

Fox will begin his role as dean of the Russ College on July 17, 2023.

“Dr. Patrick Fox is a highly respected educator whose experience, research expertise and strategic leadership will greatly benefit the Russ College,” Provost Sayrs said. “This is an exciting time for the Russ College and Ohio University, and I am looking forward to working with Dr. Fox.”

Before accepting his current leadership role at Penn State in 2015, Fox served as a professor of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering in the Department of Structural Engineering at the University of California-San Diego and held tenured academic appointments at several universities including Purdue University, Ohio State University and the University of California-Los Angeles.

Dr. Fox has won numerous awards for teaching, research and service in his career, and his broad-based research activities have led to more than 250 published technical papers and more than $24 million in research funding from federal, state, industry, and university sources.  He served as Chief Editor for the leading Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and as president of the Geo-Institute for the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2020.

Originally from Lancaster, Ohio, Fox received his doctorate in civil and environmental engineering with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a master of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor of science degree from the University of Cincinnati.

“I am honored to step into this leadership role and excited to work with faculty, staff, and stakeholders to create opportunities for the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, including plans to strengthen the research enterprise and deliver an outstanding educational experience to its students,” Fox said.

The search committee was chaired by Dr. Jackie Rees-Ulmer, dean of the College of Business, and Dr. Issam Khoury, associate professor of civil engineering.  

"I am grateful to the search committee for their diligent and thoughtful work throughout the search process,” Provost Sayrs said. “They identified an outstanding pool of candidates who brought forth strong visions for leading the Russ College.”

Fox will follow Interim Dean Dr. Maj Mirmirani, who was named to the position in July 2022.

“I am grateful to Dr. Mirmirani for his outstanding leadership as interim dean during the last year,” Sayrs said. “The Russ College has continued to grow and increase its national reputation under his leadership, and I appreciate his commitment to the college and its success.”