The dean of the School of Arts & Sciences takes on the interim role as the University’s chief academic officer on August. 1.
University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf has appointed School of Arts & Sciences Dean Nicole S. Sampson to the position of interim University provost. Sampson, who has served as the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences since August 2023, will assume her new interim responsibilities on August 1, when Provost David Figlio steps down.
“Nicole has proven to be an exceptionally skilled academic leader, in addition to being an admired and esteemed academic,” Mangelsdorf says. “I am very confident she will transition seamlessly into this interim role and provide consistent and effective leadership as chief academic officer, especially as we embark upon another academic year and continue to pursue our Boundless Possibility Strategic Plan goals.”
The University’s provost is the chief academic officer, overseeing five of the University’s main academic units: the School of Arts & Sciences; Eastman School of Music; Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences; Simon Business School; and Warner School of Education. A number of University-wide operations are also based in the Provost’s Office.
Over the last year, Sampson has been instrumental in advancing the strategic priorities of the School of Arts & Sciences, including leading the school through the reorganization of the former Arts, Sciences & Engineering; identifying opportunities and directing resources to better support students, faculty, and staff members; hiring more than 20 new faculty members; and co-launching with Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, an ambitious initiative aimed at expanding the natural sciences and engineering facilities.
“I am truly honored that President Mangelsdorf has asked me to lead during this critical time for the University as we continue the implementation of the new strategic plan,” says Sampson. “Boundless Possibility sets bold and transformational goals that will allow us to reimagine what undergraduate and graduate education can look like at a research-driven institution, paving the way for our students, our faculty, and our staff to solve some of the greatest challenges of the future.”
Before joining the University, Sampson was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University, where she served in numerous capacities over the course of three decades. Sampson also heads a research laboratory where she focuses on the molecular intricacies of mammalian fertilization, methods for precision synthesis of polymers, and finding new treatments for tuberculosis and cholera. Her work has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1995.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and held an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. While serving in the interim provost role, she will continue as University Professor in the Department of Chemistry.
Interim leadership at the School of Arts & Sciences
Duje Tadin, chair of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), has been named interim dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. In this role—a position he also held in summer 2023 just before Sampson began as dean—Tadin will assume oversight of the school’s 19 departments and numerous centers, institutes, and programs in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
He joined the University in 2007 and is currently a professor in BCS, the Center for Visual Science, the Department of Neuroscience, and the Department of Ophthalmology.
Tadin’s research centers on elucidating the neural mechanisms that lead to human visual experience. His research on visual motion perception has had a lasting impact on the field. He has also made significant contributions to several high-profile papers dealing with binocular vision, visual adaptation, multi-sensory interactions, and visual function in individuals with low-vision, stroke patients and children with autism.
He received bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and in psychology from Westminster College in 1999, and a PhD in psychology from Vanderbilt University in 2004.
“We are in the midst of a truly exciting and optimistic time for both the School of Arts & Sciences and the University,” Tadin says. “The School has entered a period of increased investment in staff and faculty, and the development of new initiatives, including the creation of new transdisciplinary centers. These opportunities will bridge disciplines and integrate knowledge, allowing us to grow and develop as researchers and create exceptional learning experiences for our students.”
