Dear Brown Community,

I am tremendously excited to announce the selection of Francis J. Doyle III, the dean of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, to serve as Brown University’s 14^th provost. Frank will assume the role beginning July 1, 2023.    

Frank stood out among a highly competitive pool of candidates for his experience in academic leadership, record of innovation, and demonstrated commitment to the values of diversity, equity and inclusion. He has a strong history in academic and research administration dating back almost 20 years, first at the University of California, Santa Barbara, then at Harvard, where he has served as the engineering dean since 2015.

As Brown prepares to embark on ambitious plans to significantly increase investments in scholarship and research across all academic disciplines, Frank is the right leader at the right time for the University. Frank has an exceptional record of leading a complex academic enterprise through extensive development of new programs, capital planning, faculty recruitment, and cultivation of philanthropic investment, all while building and strengthening community. He also has deep experience working with industry partners.

As dean of engineering at Harvard, Frank is responsible for the research and academic mission for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). He oversees financial administration, including operating finances and budgets for sponsored research, as well as fundraising. He has stewarded Harvard’s engineering program during a period of tremendous growth, with concentrations in engineering increasing from 18% to 23% of Harvard’s undergraduate student body. Among his many accomplishments, Frank implemented strong financial management of the engineering school; cultivated some of the largest donors in the Harvard portfolio; established a new office for industry partnerships; and provided academic oversight for the design phase, construction and opening of the largest building at Harvard in over a generation.

Frank names as one of his key achievements establishing SEAS as the “connective tissue” of Harvard University, developing numerous joint programs with the other Harvard schools. These include new joint master’s degrees, new executive education programs and a new Ph.D. degree. He also established, in partnership with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter at Harvard’s Kennedy School, a faculty working group for technology and policy, drawing academic and corporate leaders from Boston-area universities and companies to address the challenges in aligning policy and regulation with the rapid pace of technological advancement in numerous fields.

Aligned with Brown’s own commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Frank has been the architect of a vast array of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging activities at Harvard’s engineering school, and has championed DEIB efforts across the university, the City of Cambridge, and the national and global engineering communities. These have included recruiting and retention initiatives, a new post-baccalaureate program, formation of student affinity groups, and a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Fellows program.

At Brown, Frank will be the chief academic officer, with responsibility for strengthening academic excellence. The provost is second in seniority at the University and serves as an essential partner to me in my role as president. He will work closely with senior deans, faculty, and other administrative colleagues across the University to advance Brown’s commitment to the liberal arts and distinctive interdisciplinary approach to education and research.

With a focus on collaboration with schools, departments, senior colleagues and offices across the University, Frank will play a lead role in developing and stewarding operational plans for the Building on Distinction strategic plan; growing Brown’s research enterprise; elevating the importance of the arts and humanities; advancing the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan; and enhancing academic excellence and innovation. He will lead the University’s budgeting and resource prioritization process in partnership with the executive vice president for finance and administration, and will play a role in capital planning to support the preservation, renewal and expansion of facilities essential for teaching, research and campus life.

Strong background in academic leadership

In addition to serving as the John A. Paulson Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard since July 2015, Frank is a faculty affiliate for the Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine, and is on the board of directors of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in the Harvard Kennedy School.

Prior to arriving at Harvard, Frank held several academic leadership positions while at the University of California, Santa Barbara, from 2002 to 2015. He served as director of the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies from 2003 to June 2015, and as the associate dean for research at the College of Engineering from April 2008 to June 2015, among other roles. He held previous positions as a research fellow at the University of Stuttgart; a professor at the University of Delaware; and an associate professor at Purdue University. His industrial experience includes roles as a visiting research scientist and industrial consultant at major corporate laboratories, research and development companies, and other organizations.

Among a long list of distinctions, Frank is a member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a certificate of postgraduate studies from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

As I shared last month, Larry Larson, emeritus dean of Brown’s School of Engineering, has agreed to serve in the role of interim provost until Frank takes the position in July. I want to thank him again. I must also express my deep appreciation to the Provost Search Committee, whose members dedicated their time and deep insights to this search, as well as the many faculty, staff and students who participated in listening sessions to contribute their perspectives.

I am excited about the vision and experience Frank will bring to his role as provost. Please join me in welcoming Frank and his wife, Diana, to the Brown community.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President