Venkatesh Narayanamurti will become the next dean of the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (DEAS) and McKay professor of engineering and applied sciences, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles announced this week.

The DEAS encompasses three undergraduate concentrations--computer science, applied math and engineering science--and contributes to the Earth and Planetary Sciences and Physics Departments.

Narayanamurti is currently dean of the College of Engineering and a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB).

In addition to his extensive experience as a university administrator, Narayanamurti has managed both industrial and governmental laboratories.

From 1981 to 1987 he was the director of the Solid State Electronics Research Laboratory at AT&T Bell Laboratories and from 1987 to 1992 he was vice president of research and exploratory technology at Sandia National Laboratories.

Narayanamurti, an expert in applied physics who specializes in solid state and material science, has also maintained his own research laboratory while at UCSB.

Narayanamurti has had at least three roles as a professional--those of educator, administrator and researcher.

"I told [Knowles] you are hiring more than one person," Narayanamurti said.

It is from his experiences wearing multiple hats that Narayanamurti derives a vision of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The new dean is particularly optimistic about joint projects among the applied sciences and Harvard's schools of business and medicine.

Narayanamurti said that both academic disciplines and average citizens are being affected by the increasing use of technology.

"I think that a fundamental change is occurring in society...the Internet is everywhere, virtual laboratories, virtual classrooms. How in fact information technology is going to impact daily life is the next frontier," Narayanamurti said.

Glenn E. Lucas, the associate dean for advancement and planning at UCSB's College of Engineering, said Narayanamurti's connections in business and government allow him to inte- grate science with these fields.

"He's got great vision about how to integrateindustry, government and academia into newprograms," Lucas said.

Narayanamurti formed the Engineering AdvisoryCommittee at UCSB which was composed of CEOs fromhigh tech firms in the Santa Barbara area.

John E. Bowers, a professor at UCSB's Collegeof Engineering, said that for the past two yearsNarayanamurti has taught a course onentrepreneurial engineering.