Rajan Batta named interim engineering dean

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rajan Batta, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and associate dean for faculty affairs, human resources and diversity in the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been named interim dean of the school, effective July 27.

Batta succeeds Liesl Folks, who is leaving UB to become senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Arizona. Folks has served as dean of UB’s engineering school since 2012.

“I am grateful to Professor Batta for his willingness to serve as interim dean during this transitional period, during which time I will launch an international search for the next dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences,” said Charles F. Zukoski, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, who made the appointment.

An internationally recognized researcher who focuses on using industrial engineering techniques to solve complex logistical problems that benefit society as a whole, Batta has been a UB faculty member since 1984. He has a sustained record of research funding, with more than $13 million in grants from federal and state agencies and private industry, and has published more than 140 articles in the top journals in his field.

An excellent teacher and mentor, Batta has supervised or co-supervised 100 doctoral and master’s students. In recognition of his exceptional work, he has received many awards and honors, including the Dr. David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award, the Award for Technical Innovation in Industrial Engineering, and the Albert G. Holzman Distinguished Educator Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, the largest professional society in his field.

In addition to his current role as associate dean, Batta previously served as acting/interim dean from 2011-12, as well as associate dean for research and graduate education, and chair of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.