Yogesh K. Vohra, an Indian American professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham has taken over as interim dean of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.
The selection of Vohra as interim dean came following discussions with College leadership about its “strengths, opportunities, future direction and the qualities sought in the next permanent dean,” according to a university release.
“Dr. Vohra’s record of research leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration make him ideally suited to guide the College of Arts and Sciences in the coming months,” said Provost and Senior Vice President Janet Woodruff-Borden.
Vohra earlier served as associate dean for Research and Innovation in the College of Arts and Sciences and is a University Scholar. This spring, he was named Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics.
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An internationally recognized physicist and materials scientist, Vohra is known for pioneering research in high-pressure physics, synthetic diamond technologies and nanostructured biomedical materials. He has written more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and holds six U.S. patents.
Vohra is the founding director of the UAB Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration and currently leads major interdisciplinary research initiatives, including the National Nuclear Security Administration-funded Center of Excellence.
He also directs multiple federally funded education and workforce development initiatives, including National Science Foundation and NASA-supported Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs and a U.S. Department of Education GAANN graduate training grant. He has active research grants from Department of Energy, Army Research Office, and Alabama Department of Commerce.
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Vohra, who has BS and MS in Physics degrees from Delhi University, India and a PhD in Physics from Bombay University, India,
joined UAB in 1992 after completing his postdoctoral research training at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
His PhD students are enjoying rewarding careers at Department of Energy National Laboratories, as faculty members in academia, and as innovators in industrial research laboratories.