Amazing Faculty Moves Across the Miles

Have you ever considered making a job change?

In academia, some folks move into administrative posts or may switch departments. Others select to leave their respective college or university to join the faculty or assume another post, perhaps, administrative, at another academic institution. Some may move for a period of time, or permanently, into a government position.

There have been some recent amazing moves by faculty and administrators  - moves that have involved assuming positions thousands of miles away even across the Atlantic.

Two of the most amazing moves I heard about last month at the Optimization, Control and Applications in the Information Age Conference in Chalkidiki, Greece, which was in honor of our dear friend, Distinguished University Professor Panos M.. Pardalos of the University of Florida.

Drumroll, please.

Professor C. Pistikopoulos of Imperial College in London, England, who was one of my hosts, along with Professor Berc Rustem, when I spoke there in April 2007, is joining the faculty of Texas A&M University. Professor E.N. Floudas of Princeton University is also joining Texas A&M University. Texas A&M issued this nice press release. Both are renowned scholars who are experts in optimization with a focus on chemical engineering processes. They are good friends of Professor Pardalos and, yes, they are both Greek.

Texas A&M has recruited these two scholars and two others, including Alan Needlman, who was at Brown U., when I was there, using a fund of $100 million!  This is what oil money can buy!

I had the pleasure of speaking at Texas A&M last October and was hosted by Professor Sergiy Butenko and the great Texas A&M INFORMS Student Chapter. Their hospitality was outstanding!

And speaking,of amazing faculty moves across the miles, and a bit of  "conservation of flow," the new President of Imperial College is none other than the President of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Professor Alice Gast. More info on her can be found here. She will be making "herstory" as Imperial's first female President. Coincidentally, her area of expertise is chemical engineering. And, in case you missed it, the former President of Princeton University (who was Princeton's first female President, and who was born in Canada, as I was), Professor Shirley Tilghman is also now at Imperial College.

Personally, I enjoy having "my feet" on both the North American and European continents and am so lucky to hold a Visiting Professorship at the University of Gothenburg in beautiful Sweden!