Contact: Karyn Brown

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Veteran chemist and researcher Dennis Smith is the new head of Mississippi State University’s Department of Chemistry.

His position as the leader of the College of Arts and Sciences’ department will begin July 1, pending formal approval by the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning. After many years in academia at Clemson University and the University of Texas at Dallas, Smith spent the last few years focusing on private sector consulting, research and entrepreneurial ventures.

“Dr. Smith is widely known in both academic and industry circles for his research in polymeric materials and composites,” said Rick Travis, interim dean of MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences. “We anticipate that he will host partnerships with researchers on campus and in the private sector.”

Smith’s professional interests include science and technology leadership, technology transfer, entrepreneurship and chemistry/materials research.

“I am looking forward to all aspects of this new leadership challenge, such as enabling increased funded research, multidisciplinary collaboration and recruiting,” Smith said. “But most of all, personally, I look forward to mentoring individual faculty, students and staff and helping to identify and unleash their own unique potential and ultimate successful contributions.”

Smith received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and mathematics from Missouri State University in 1988. In 1992, he completed a doctorate in chemistry at the University of Florida. Along with his extensive research career, he has published 137 refereed journal articles, 28 U.S. patents issued or pending, over 300 conference papers, five book editorships, and more than 200 invited lectures in 23 countries.

The College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,000 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 24 academic majors offered in 14 departments. It also is home to the most diverse units for research and scholarly activities, including natural and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities.

Natural and physical science research projects have been supported over the decades by the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.

Research expenditures in the humanities are also an important part of Mississippi State’s overall research portfolio. Additionally, the NSF has ranked MSU among the top 25 for research expenditures in the social sciences. For more information on MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.cas.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.