I am pleased to announce the extension of the appointment of Dr. Mark MacLachlan, Dean pro tem, for the Faculty of Science. This extension is for the period January 1, 2025, until the earlier of December 31, 2025, or the appointment of the new Dean.
Dr. MacLachlan, Professor of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Supramolecular Materials, has been with UBC since 2001. He served as Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Science from 2016 to his appointment as Dean pro tem.
Dr. MacLachlan’s research interests span inorganic, organic, and materials chemistry, where his group creates complex structures from the assembly of simple building blocks. From 2014-2021, Dr. MacLachlan directed the NSERC CREATE Training Program in Nanomaterials Science & Technology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and has received the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, the Steacie Prize, the Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring and a Killam Teaching Prize.
During his first year as Dean pro tem, Dr. MacLachlan oversaw the expansion of SCIE 113 to all incoming Science students, a revamp of the Environmental Sciences program, and creation of a new Dean’s Advisory Committee for Undergraduate Student Issues. He has focused on enhancing the research ecosystem, a key pillar of Science’s strategic plan, “Improving our World Through Science.”
I wish to thank Dr. MacLachlan for his leadership of the Faculty over this past year, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the coming months.
The search for the new Dean of the Faculty of Science is ongoing, and we will have an update for the community in the spring.
Gage Averill
Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver