Mark Schlissel named provost of Brown University

Mark Schlissel

BERKELEY — Mark Schlissel, UC Berkeley’s dean of biological sciences in the College of Letters & Science, will become the 11th provost of Brown University starting July 1, Brown University President Ruth Simmons announced today (Tuesday, April 5). As the university’s chief academic officer, Schlissel will be second in rank to the president.

Schlissel  joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1999 as an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and became a full professor in 2002. He was appointed dean of biological sciences in July 2008.

Schlissel’s areas of expertise are immunology and pathogenesis — the mechanisms through which disease is caused. A prolific scholar and researcher, he has authored or co-authored nearly 100 scientific papers.

UC Berkeley Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost George Breslauer called the announcement “a bittersweet one for UC Berkeley.”

“It is a loss for our campus, as Mark is an accomplished and highly respected leader, scholar, researcher and teacher here,” he said. “But he will now make significant contributions to higher education at Brown, and we are very happy for him. We will begin a search immediately for a replacement, and we wish him the very best in his new post.”

For more information:

• Brown University announcement