Dear UT community,
I am excited to announce that Claudia Mora will serve as the next dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences, effective February 1, 2020. Until then, she will serve as dean-designate, making regular visits to the UT Austin campus.
Dean-designate Mora comes to UT from Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she serves as the deputy division leader of the Chemistry Division. In this role, she helps lead five diverse technical groups conducting research and development in actinide chemistry, radiochemical and isotope science, applied spectroscopy, and nuclear nonproliferation. She has also held leadership roles at Los Alamos in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division and the Nuclear Nonproliferation and Security Program Office.
Prior to Los Alamos, she was a faculty member at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and served as department head. What has brought her work great distinction is her leadership of collaborative research at the intersection of geology, soil science and dendrochronology. Her research has focused on stable isotope proxy records of climate and environment captured in terrestrial archives, including soils and fossil soils, tree rings, and lake sediments.
Her record as a leader uniquely stands out. She has held management and leadership positions in both higher education and in the federal laboratories. Such breadth of experience adds great value to the talent, resources and opportunity within the Jackson School of Geosciences.
She has been recognized nationally and globally for her expertise and professional service. She is a past president of the Geological Society of America and has been appointed as a councilor to the International Union of Geological Sciences, as a U.S. delegate to the International Geological Congress, and as a member of both the U.S. National Committee for Geological Sciences and the U.S. National Committee for Soil Sciences.
Dr. Mora will succeed Sharon Mosher as dean. I would like to thank Dean Mosher for her significant contributions to UT Austin as dean and as a faculty member. Her legacy is one of excellence and community.
I am confident we have selected a fantastic leader and colleague in Dean-designate Mora. Thanks to the hard work and commitment of the faculty, staff, students, alumni and others, the Jackson School of Geosciences is widely respected as one of the most highly regarded schools of its kind.
Please join me in welcoming Claudia Mora to the UT Austin community.
Sincerely,
Maurie McInnis