David Oxtoby to serve another term as Dean

David Oxtoby, the William Rainey Harper Professor in Chemistry and the James Franck Institute, has been appointed to serve a second five-year term as Dean of the Division of the Physical Sciences.

“The division’s faculty has the highest praise for the recruitment successes, long-term divisional planning and decanal integrity that have characterized David’s leadership,” President Sonnenschein said in announcing the appointment.

Oxtoby joined the Chicago faculty in 1977. He served as Master of the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division from 1984 until 1987 and Director of the James Franck Institute from 1992 until 1995, when he began his first term as Dean of Physical Sciences. In 1986, Oxtoby received the Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Oxtoby’s research focuses on the dynamics of phase transitions, such as the transition of water to ice. His theoretical work has applications in materials science, biology and atmospheric science.

He is the co-author of two textbooks. His Principles of Modern Chemistry, first published in 1986, is in its fourth edition and has been translated into Italian. His Chemistry: Science of Change, first published in 1990, is in its third edition and has been translated into Korean and Italian.