Susan Avery, interim vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been named interim provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, pending approval by the CU Board of Regents.
Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano announced today that he plans to recommend Avery for the position at the next meeting of the Board of Regents on March 24. DiStefano had served as provost before being named to his current position following the resignation of former Chancellor Richard L. Byyny last December.
"I am delighted that Susan Avery has agreed to step into this critical position," DiStefano said. "She brings strong leadership skills to the position, as well as a long-term commitment to the Boulder campus. During her 20 years with CU-Boulder, she has made substantial contributions to the academic quality and intellectual strengths of the campus."
DiStefano said Avery has been a strong advocate for graduate education and will play a key role in the campus's efforts to build the number of doctoral students.
Avery, 55, has been associated with CU-Boulder since 1985, when she became associate professor in electrical and computer engineering. Prior to joining the faculty, she was a visiting fellow with CU's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science and a faculty member at the University of Illinois.
"I am gratified by the support and confidence that Chancellor DiStefano has placed in me," Avery said. "I'm looking forward to helping move the campus forward and building on our many strengths - a talented and resourceful faculty, a hard-working staff, and eager and able students."
During her tenure at CU-Boulder, Avery has been closely associated with CIRES, including serving as a fellow since 1983 and as director from 1994 to 2004. She also was director of the campus's Center for Limb Atmospheric Sounding from 1996 to 2004. In August 2004, Avery was named to the interim vice chancellor position, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Carol Lynch.
Avery's research interests include the development and use of Doppler radar techniques for observing the atmosphere; climate variability and its impacts on water in the interior West; and the role of science in decision making processes. Her past teaching includes courses in radar science and techniques, geophysical data analysis, and policy responses to climate variability.
Avery is the author of numerous publications and serves on many national and international scientific boards.