Patricia (Trisha) Wittkopp, a geneticist who studies evolution and development, will design and implement strategies to support research and creative practice as part of a new leadership position within LSA.
Her appointment as LSA’s inaugural associate dean for research was approved Sept. 18 by the Board of Regents, and is effective immediately.
“LSA is home to faculty, students and staff with diverse research interests and expertise, who help solve real-world problems today, and lay the foundation for transformative discoveries tomorrow,” said Wittkopp, the Deborah E. Goldberg Distinguished University Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with members of the LSA community to help them reach their individual goals and contribute to our collective success.”
In her new leadership role, Wittkopp will partner with LSA faculty, staff and students to advance research and creative practice in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. She will support graduate education and postdoctoral fellows, while expanding the college’s interdisciplinary research collaborations with units across U-M.
“For nearly 200 years, LSA researchers have generated new knowledge, forged discoveries, solved bold challenges and created inventions that enhance quality of life for people across our state, nation and world,” said LSA Dean Rosario Ceballo, a professor of psychology, and of women’s and gender studies.
“Interdisciplinary research has been a hallmark of this college for decades, and despite the overwhelming uncertainty around external funding, we remain steadfast in our commitment to support and safeguard LSA scholarship and creative practice.”
Wittkopp, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, joined U-M in 2005 as an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and of molecular, cellular and developmental biology. Her research targets the genetic changes responsible for phenotypic differences within and between species, and how those changes impact development by altering the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression.
She previously served as LSA’s associate dean for natural sciences. Given her new leadership position, the regents on Sept. 18 also approved the appointment of Rebecca Lange to serve as LSA’s interim associate dean for natural sciences.
Lange, the Alexander N. Halliday Collegiate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, will collaborate with department chairs and program directors across LSA’s 14 natural sciences departments and programs, which range in scope from applied physics and astronomy to chemistry and complex systems.
“I look forward to supporting and strengthening our natural scientists here in LSA so that we can cultivate an environment where world-class research, creative work, teaching and engagement flourish,” Lange said.
