A distinguished Indian-American academician has been appointed as vice chancellor for research at the prestigious University of Illinois, Chicago.
Mitra Dutta, a former senior executive with the United States Army Research Office, has served as interim vice-chancellor at the university since January, overseeing a research enterprise with annual expenditures of more than $340 million.
"Dutta's outstanding performance as interim vice chancellor and her distinguished record as a researcher, administrator and teacher make her the ideal choice to take on this vital role," UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares said in a statement.
In accepting the position, Dutta said, "It's a privilege to serve in this position and work with so many excellent researchers across our campus. We want to provide the best environment possible for our faculty to carry on their important work."
The vice chancellor is responsible for the enhancement of excellence in research throughout the campus, and assuring academic integrity in research endeavours and compliance with federal, state and local regulations pertaining to research, including protection of human participants in research trials.
Dutta joined UIC in 2001 to head the newly formed Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She has authored about 300 journal publications and book chapters and co-authored or co-edited seven books. She has 30 patents and several more in application status.
Dutta did her B.Sc from Gauhati University, M Sc in physics from the Delhi University and a master's and doctorate in physics from the University of Cincinnati.
