NYU Senior Vice Provost Katepalli Sreenivasan Appointed Provost of NYU-Poly

Katepalli R. Sreenivasan, presently a senior vice provost at New York University, has been appointed to new positions at NYU: senior vice provost of science/technology for the Global Network University and provost of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly).  He will assume these new positions on Oct. 1, 2011.  As provost, he will succeed Dianne Rekow, the current provost of NYU-Poly, who accepted an appointment as dean of the Dental Institute at King’s College London beginning Jan. 1, 2012.

In his new role, Sreenivasan will work with NYU Provost David W. McLaughlin and NYU-Poly President Jerry M. Hultin to build engineering and technology throughout NYU and its global network, including NYU-Poly.  In this capacity, Sreenivasan will focus on the development of faculty, curriculum and research programs at NYU-Poly, NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, all in partnership with science throughout NYU.  Hewill also continue his role as a science/technology advisor for the NYUAD Research Institute.  

Sreenivasan joined NYU in 2009 from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, where he was director, and concurrently from the University of Maryland.  Having been at Yale for 22 years, since 1979, Sreenivasan moved in 2002 to the University of Maryland with the intent of learning how a public university works.  At Maryland, he was Distinguished University Professor, Glenn L. Martin Professor of Engineering and professor of physics, and he served for a year and a half as director of the Institute for Physical Science and Technology.  At Yale University, Sreenivasan served as the Harold W. Cheel Professor of Mechanical Engineering from 1988, later holding joint appointments in the Departments of Physics, Applied Physics and Mathematics.  Between 1987 and 1992, he was the chair of Yale’s Mechanical Engineering Department.  Sreenivasan is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

An active researcher, Sreenivasan will continue his work in turbulence, cryogenic helium and nonlinear dynamics, and will retain his NYU appointment as university professor, jointly in physics and mathematics.

“In Dr. Sreenivasan, NYU-Poly found an exceptional scholar and experienced academic leader to help guide us at this exciting and unparalleled time in our institution’s history,” said NYU-Poly President Jerry M. Hultin. “Dr. Sreenivasan’s global reputation and world view will help ensure that Polytechnic, in partnership with all of NYU, achieves new heights in education, discovery and the life lessons that we call i²e : invention, innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Over the past year, Sreenivasan met with many members of the Polytechnic faculty to discuss the role of NYU-Poly in the development of science and engineering at NYU.  In welcoming Sreenivasan, the Faculty Executive Committee of NYU-Poly “express[es] its support for the appointment of Professor Sreenivasan as Provost and its commitment to work closely with both President Jerry Hultin and Provost Sreenivasan to build a strong future for NYU-Poly.”

“I am excited to join NYU-Poly during its time of transformation, and look forward to working with its leaders, faculty, staff and students to fulfill the promise that technology and education hold for addressing – through i²e – some of the world’s most pressing problems,” Sreenivasan said.

Rekow served as NYU-Poly provost since March 2009.  Before that, she served as special advisor to the NYU president and provost on engineering; chair of the NYU College of Dentistry Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology; chair of the College of Dentistry’s Bioterrorism and Catastrophe Response Task Force, and NYU Provostial Fellow. She joined NYU in 2002 as professor of basic science and craniofacial biology and of orthodontics and director of translational research at the College of Dentistry.  An international authority on the performance of new materials and products for use in aesthetic and restorative dentistry, her team has also carried out research into the use of bio-engineered tissue to facilitate the growth of replacement bone in people who have been disfigured by disease. She was the principal investigator for a $10 million National Institute of Health grant to investigate damage initiation and propagation in brittle materials.  She is currently president of the International Association for Dental Research and past president of the American Association for Dental Research.   

During her tenure as NYU-Poly provost, the school experienced notable gains in research and academics, and developed significant collaborations across NYU.  These include more than 30 collaborative research projects, including a joint biomedical engineering center.  During her tenure, the number of sponsored research grants increased, undergraduate enrollment grew 15 percent, graduate enrollment increased 9 percent and incoming student quality metrics improved significantly.  Forbes named NYU-Poly among the Best Schools for Women and Minorities in STEM, U.S. News and World Report ranked NYU-Poly among the best colleges for ethnic and economic diversity, and PayScale placed the school among its top 10 engineering schools.

As dean of the Dental Institute at King’s College London, Rekow will head the largest dental academic center in the United Kingdom.

“Dr. Sreenivasan, an outstanding and internationally renowned scientific leader, will recruit excellent engineering faculty to NYU; further develop collaborations across the Global Network University; develop the engineering programs for NYU-Poly, NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai; and substantially increase NYU’s research base in engineering and technology,” said NYU Provost McLaughlin. “We have every confidence that Sreeni will significantly advance NYU-Poly and, importantly, will also advance the University commitment to develop engineering at NYU through the development of NYU-Poly.”

About New York University

New York University, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, was established in 1831 and is one of America’s leading research universities. It is one of the largest private universities, it has one of the largest contingents of international students, and it sends more students to study abroad than any other college or university in the U.S. Through its 18 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and dramatic arts, music, public administration, social work, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas.

About Polytechnic Institute of New York University

Polytechnic Institute of New York University (formerly Polytechnic University), an affiliate of New York University, is a comprehensive school of engineering, applied sciences, technology and research, and is rooted in a 157-year tradition of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship: i²e. The institution, founded in 1854, is the nation’s second-oldest private engineering school. In addition to its main campus in New York City at MetroTech Center in downtown Brooklyn, it also offers programs at sites throughout the region and around the globe. Globally, NYU-Poly has programs in Israel, China and is an integral part of NYU's campus in Abu Dhabi.