Newly appointed leaders in the College of Science - Fall 2024 Announcement
Dear College of Science community,
I am pleased to announce the following new leadership appointments in the College of Science for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please join me in welcoming the new department heads and directors.
College of Science Associate Dean, Research
Daniel Apai
Dr. Daniel Apai is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Science. Daniel has served in an interim capacity for the college since 2022 and was officially appointed to the position in August. In his role, Apai will work in tandem with College of Science faculty and research staff to support their cutting-edge research efforts. In addition to his research role within the College of Science administration, Apai is a professor of astronomy and planetary science.
Apai’s personal research focuses on exoplanets and astrobiology, with a particular emphasis on habitable planets and planetary systems. He leads large, multi-disciplinary programs to understand the formation and habitability of nearby planetary systems, to search for giant and earth-like exoplanets, and to characterize and map exoplanet and brown dwarf atmospheres. He is also leading space mission concepts and co-leading related technology development programs.
Apai obtained his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Heidelberg University and joined the Arizona faculty in 2011. His blog on exoplanet exploration and his research group’s website can be found here.
Cognitive Science Program Director (Interim)
Jessica Andrews-Hanna
Dr. Jessica Andrews-Hanna is the interim director of the Cognitive Science Program. Andrews-Hanna is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona with a shared appointment in the Department of Psychology and the Cognitive Science Program.
A Cognitive Neuroscientist by training, Andrews-Hanna directs the Neuroscience of Emotion and Thought (NET) Laboratory, where her research is centered on understanding the human imagination – the thoughts, ideas, memories, and emotions that make us unique as individuals. She also acts as Director of the Cognitive Science Program, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity in the Department of Psychology, and faculty advisor for two student clubs promoting gender equity in STEM and other fields.
Andrews-Hanna has active research grants from the National Institute of Aging, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. Prior to joining the University of Arizona faculty, she completed her M.S. in Neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and her Ph.D. in Psychology at Harvard University.
Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences Department Head
Peter Troch
Dr. Peter Troch is the new department head of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences. Troch has been with the department since 2005 as a professor of surface water hydrology. Previously in the role was Dr. Christopher Castro, who departed the university after nearly two decades of service for a leadership position at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Troch has been involved in several international airborne and space borne remote sensing experiments in hydrology. His current research involves hillslope to catchment scale hydrological processes, seasonal, decadal and climate predictions of water availability in semi-arid river basins, as well as developing research infrastructure to investigate critical zone processes across climate gradients. Click here to learn more about Dr. Troch’s research group.
Troch studied Agricultural Engineering at the University of Ghent, Belgium, and graduated with Highest Distinction. Prior to coming to Tucson, he served as the Chair of the Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management group of Wageningen University, the Netherlands.
Mathematics Department Head (Acting)
Robert (Bob) Sims
Dr. Robert (Bob) Sims is the new acting department head of Mathematics. He is temporarily serving in the role as current department head, Dr. Doug Ulmer, is on sabbatical leave.
As a mathematical physicist, Sims’ research is focused on applications arising from locality estimates for the dynamics of many-body quantum systems. He has organized several spring schools titled "Arizona School of Analysis and Mathematical Physics," which have brought international experts to campus to present recent developments in this area. Sims has been a member of the faculty at the University of Arizona in 2008.
In service to his research community, Sims has been an editor of the Bulletin of the International Association of Mathematical Physics since 2013 and has been on the Advisory Board for the Journal of Mathematical Physics since 2017. He has also served as Associate Head for STEM Instruction in the Math department since 2021.
Psychology Department Head (Interim)
Arne Ekstrom
Dr. Arne Ekstrom is the new interim department head of Psychology. He is taking over the position from Dr. Lee Ryan, who is embarking on an exciting new opportunity to serve as the Director of the Brain Imaging Center at the University of Arizona.
Ekstrom directs the Human Spatial Cognition Lab at the U of A, which focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying how we navigate and remember. He has also served as area head of the cognitive and neural systems (CNS) program and chaired committees within the department focused on grants and research.
Ekstrom obtained his Ph.D. from Brandeis University in neuroscience and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship focused on single neuron recordings and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in patients at UCLA. Ekstrom then became an assistant and associate professor at University of California, Davis, before joining the University of Arizona Psychology department in 2018.
--
Wishing you all a wonderful semester. Bear Down!
Carmala Garzione
Dean, College of Science