Mohammad Dehghani has been appointed the new chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology, effective Aug. 1.
Dehghani has been vice provost for research, innovation and entrepreneurship at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
University of Missouri System President Mun Choi said in an internal announcement that Dehghani is a mechanical engineer with a track record of building faculty research teams in collaboration with national laboratories and industry.
Dehghani is the 22nd chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri – Rolla). He follows Cheryl Schrader, who served from 2012 to 2017 when she left to become president of Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio. Christopher Maples has been serving as interim chancellor since May 15, 2017.
“From his current role at the distinguished Stevens Institute of Technology to his experience establishing two national research centers at Johns Hopkins University, it˙s clear to me that he has the skills and expertise to help Missouri S&T reach its ambitious goals to solve some of Missouri˙s — and the nation˙s — most complex and urgent problems,” Choi said in a statement.
Dehghani˙s appointment was approved by the University of Missouri Board of Curators on Wednesday, May 15.
A committee of 23, including S&T faculty, staff, students and alumni guided the search for Schrader’s replacement. Professor Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe and alumnus and trustee Tom Voss, retired CEO of Ameren Corp., served as co-chairs of the search committee. Jon Sundvold is chair of the University of Missouri Board of Curators.
“I consider the opportunity of serving Missouri S&T as its chancellor a personal and professional honor as I recognize the recent and historic achievements of this great institution,” Dehghani said in a statement. “Missouri S&T is at an exciting point in its evolution to enhance its national standing and achieve further prominence among top public, land-grant research universities.”
Dehghani earned his bachelor˙s, master˙s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University. He completed a postdoctoral National Science Foundation internship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dehghani, a pilot who enjoys flying and fly fishing, is married to Mina (Saffari) Dehghani, a pharmacist. They have one son, Devon.