College of Arts and Sciences, Interim Dean

adult middle eastern man wearing black rimmed glasses, a pink shirt and tie, and a grey suit jacketUniversity of New Mexico Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs James Holloway announced today the appointment of Dr. Arash Mafi as interim dean of UNM’s College of Arts and Sciences. Mafi takes over for Mark Peceny, who has served as dean of the College for the past 10 years. Mafi’s term as interim dean begins July 1, 2021.

An accomplished researcher, Mafi joined UNM in 2014 coming from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He holds a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics, followed by postdoctoral appointments in particle physics and photonics. After his postdoctoral appointments at the University of Arizona in physics and the Optical Sciences Center, he joined Corning Inc. as a senior research scientist working primarily on optical communications. He moved onto the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008 as an assistant professor in electrical engineering and rose through the rank of associate professor in electrical engineering.

"I feel humbled and honored by the opportunity to lead the College of Arts and Sciences and prepare the grounds for the incoming permanent dean,” said Mafi, who is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the director of the Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM).
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