The University of Central Florida announces an opening for a distinguished scientist/engineer and visionary leader to serve as the Dean of the College of Optics and Photonics and lead the University's activities in optics, lasers, and photonics research and education into the next millennium. The college developed out of the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) in 2004 and is the first college devoted to optics in the country. CREOL was established in 1986 as the State University System’s Center of Excellence in research and education in optical sciences and engineering and is internationally recognized for its research and education programs. CREOL, along with the recently created Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (started with $10M from a State initiative in 2003) and the newly created Townes Laser Institute (started with $4.5M from a State initiative in 2007) are research centers within the College of Optics and Photonics.

The founding Dean of the College of Optics and Photonics, Dr. Eric Van Stryland, has decided to return to full time research. The vision and mission of CREOL is to provide the highest quality education and scholarly fundamental and applied research in optics, and support the development of Florida's high technology based industries. The College has 36 faculty members and 150 PhD students. The College is housed in a state-of-the-art 123,000-sq. ft. building equipped with over $45 million of state-of-the-art equipment including a 3,000 sq ft cleanroom with a Leica 500+ e-beam writer. Total annual expenditures exceed $20 million, of which over $4 million is university base funding. Plans currently include 8 new faculty positions of which 2 are endowed. CREOL plays a key partnership role with government agencies, and with national and Central Florida industries. Additional information is available at http://www.creol.ucf.edu.

The Dean of the College reports to the Provost and Executive Vice President. Candidates must qualify for appointment at the tenured Full Professor level in the College. Minimum qualifications include an earned doctorate in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related area. Preferred criteria include a distinguished record of scholarship and research, a demonstrated commitment to academic programs, strong management and interpersonal skills, and significant experience with sponsored research, partnership with industry and government, and technology transfer.

Applications or nominations, with curriculum vitae, and a list of five references with phone numbers and e-mail addresses should be sent to Dean Peter Panousis, Chair of the Search Committee, College of Sciences, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL 32816. E-mail inquiries can be directed to Maggie LeClair at mleclair@mail.ucf.edu. This position will be available as early as spring 2008. Screening of candidates will begin August, 2007 and will be pursued until the Dean is selected.

UCF is an affirmative action employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. As an agency of the State of Florida, UCF makes all application materials, including transcripts, available for public review upon request.