Dean of Jacobs School of Engineering Frieder Seible has announced his decision to retire from UCSD following a nine-year term as dean. He will remain at UCSD until April 2013, when he will join Monash University in Australia as dean, Faculty of Engineering and Vice President of Academics.
Seible joined the UCSD faculty in 1983 as a professor of structural engineering, and was appointed Dean of Jacobs School in 2003. His principal work has focused on long-span bridge design, and he has authored over 600 papers, primarily on the seismic resistance of bridges and other critical structures.
During his tenure, Seible also became the Walter J. Zable Professor of Engineering, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Foreign Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In a Oct. 17 article titled “UCSD loses a top dean to Australian school,” the U-T San Diego reported that Seible earned over $350,000 per year as dean of Jacobs School.
In a campus notice sent to all UCSD students and staff, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla commended Seible and said that he will maintain close ties with UCSD.
“The Jacobs School is stronger, more innovative and better positioned to fulfill its mission of educating tomorrow’s technology leaders, conducting leading edge research and driving innovation, and transferring discoveries for the benefit of society due to Dean Seible’s dedication and leadership,” Khosla said.
Monash is recognized as a top-tier school in Australia, though the U-T San Diego reported that its engineering program did not place in the top 50 in the 2012-13 Times World University Rankings.
“As part of his transition to his Decanal and Academic Vice-President appointments, Professor Seible will be visiting Monash in the next week,” Ed Byrne, vice chancellor of Monash University announced in a written release. “He will formally commence with Monash in April 2013, however will continue to engage with and visit the faculty and university in the time leading up to then.”
According to UCSD’s official statement from Chancellor Khosla, the university will conduct a national search for Seible’s successor.
