Richard D. McCullough, a chemistry professor known for his work in creating novel conductive materials, became dean of the Mellon College of Science (MCS) on Aug. 1. He replaced Susan Henry, who resigned in July 2000 to become dean of Cornell University's New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Mathematics Professor William Williams served as acting dean during the 2000-01 school year.

McCullough joined the Carnegie Mellon faculty in 1990 as an assistant professor of chemistry. He was promoted to full professor and head of the Chemistry Department in 1998. He will continue to serve as department head until Nov. 1.

"Rick McCullough brings to the position a great combination of energy, vision and leadership," said President Jared L. Cohon. "Rick has led the Department of Chemistry through considerable growth including the hiring of five new faculty members, more than $3 million in new instrumentation and infrastructure upgrades, and planning for the $26 million undergraduate laboratories in Doherty Hall."

"Rick has overseen innovations in the graduate program and recruiting, strongly supported faculty innovation in the undergraduate curriculum and promoted increased concern for diversity," added Provost Mark Kamlet.

McCullough's work in organic and materials chemistry spans many fields. He is recognized as a leader in research on conductive polymers and an expert in the science and technology of materials chemistry and engineering.

Because of his expertise, McCullough has served on the technical advisory board for BFGoodrich Performance Materials and consulted for the Polaroid Corporation. He has been invited to give lectures on his scientific work at universities and organizations throughout North America and Europe and in Korea.

His research has been funded by several organizations including the Air Force, NATO, the National Science Foundation, AT&T and the American Chemical Society.

McCullough is a member of the American Chemical Society and is a member of the editorial board for the journal Advanced Materials. He has also served on the editorial board for the Journal of Materials Chemistry.

McCullough is active in many activities within the Carnegie Mellon community, most notably as a teacher, research adviser, member of the Biotechnology Implementation Committee, and chairman of the policy board for the Cyert Center for Early Childhood Education. He also is a lead judge for the Siemens-Westinghouse Science Fair, a national high school competition that is held on campus each year.

McCullough earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from The University of Texas at Dallas and his doctor's degree in organic chemistry from The Johns Hopkins University. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.

He was a recipient of the Sarah and Adolph Roseman Achievement Award in Research and Teaching at Johns Hopkins and an AT&T Special Foundation Award at Carnegie Mellon.

MCS includes the departments of chemistry, biological sciences, mathematical sciences and physics. The college has about 600 undergraduate students, 200 graduate students, 200 faculty and 150 staff.

Teresa Sokol Thomas
(01/09/06)