Christopher K. Ober, Cornell's Francis Bard Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, will begin serving as interim dean of the College of Engineering when current dean Kent Fuchs becomes Cornell provost Jan. 1.

"Chris is an exemplary leader and faculty member at Cornell," said Cornell Interim Provost David Harris. "He is well respected by his peers, and he is known for attention to detail. He will be deft in running the College of Engineering while the university proceeds in the dean search. I am delighted he has agreed to serve in this capacity."

Fuchs, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering since 2002, accepted the provost position in October. Cornell Vice Provost John Siliciano will chair a committee that will be identified and convened shortly to begin the search for a new engineering dean.

After working at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, Ober joined the Cornell faculty in 1986; he became associate professor in 1992 and a professor in 1998. He served as director of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 2000 to 2003 and as associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Engineering since 2007.

Ober's research focuses on polymers, lithographic materials for microelectronics and biotechnology, and new environmentally and biologically friendly materials. His professional honors include the 2006 American Chemical Society Award in Applied Polymer Science, a 2007 Humboldt Research Prize and a National Science Foundation Creativity Award this year. He is currently president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's Polymer Division.

Ober earned his B.S. from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, in 1978 and both his M.S. (polymer science and engineering, 1980) and Ph.D. (polymer science and engineering, 1982) from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.