Fred J. Hickernell, former chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics and current director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Scientific Computation, has been named the new vice provost for research at Illinois Institute of Technology, effective October 1, 2018. He will be tasked with many goals moving forward, including but not limited to (1) helping implement a new research support services team for the university, (2) helping to build up the university’s interdisciplinary large-scale proposal writing team, (3) ensuring that Illinois Tech is investing appropriately in research infrastructure, (4) ensuring that the university is offering sufficient professional development to our faculty in proposal writing and managing research teams, and many other items related to revitalizing our research enterprise.

Fred has been an Illinois Tech faculty member for 13 years. Among his many awards are his fellowship in the Institute of Mathematical Statistics; his membership in the International Statistical Institute; the College of Science and Letters Dean’s Excellence Award for Research; and the 2016 Joseph F. Traub Prize for Achievement in Information-Based Complexity, awarded at the 12th International Conference on Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods in Scientific Computing. He received his B.A. in mathematics and physics from Pomona College and his Ph.D. in mathematics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Fred will help to elevate Illinois Tech’s research programs, research intensity, and support of research for our faculty.

Professor of Physics Chris White, former vice provost for research, will continue in his role as vice provost for academic affairs. Chris will also lead a task force to help Illinois Tech renew and modernize its approaches to online and digital learning.