Experienced dean takes on UCI biology school

Albert Bennett, UC Irvine’s evolutionary and comparative physiologist and two-time acting dean, has been named the university’s dean of biological sciences, effective immediately.

Bennett, 63, will lead a rapidly growing school of more than 4,600 students, 100 faculty and $39 million in annual funding.

“I am honored to have been chosen to lead the School of Biological Sciences during this time of unprecedented growth,” Bennett stated. “I look forward to improving the graduate and undergraduate experience at UCI and fostering a sense of community and intellectual interaction within our school.”

Bennett hopes to strengthen research and student training partnerships with other academic areas on campus. Since joining the UCI faculty in 1974, he has chaired two departments and has served twice as acting dean for the biological sciences school.

— Joseph Serna