Alan Laub, dean of the College of Engineering at UC Davis since October 1996, has announced his resignation. He will step down from his post as soon as an interim dean is appointed, likely within the next few weeks.
"I am proud of the work we've done together over the last four years and of the enormous progress we've made," Laub wrote in a letter to College of Engineering department chairs. "We will, I know, continue to interact as colleagues. I am looking forward to it, and will be continuing to work for the advancement of our college in many ways."
Said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef: "Alan has made many contributions to the College of Engineering and to the campus more broadly, and Provost Grey and I wish to thank him for his dedicated work on behalf of the university."
Laub will take a one-year sabbatical leave when he concludes his tenure as dean.
The engineering college has prospered under Laub's leadership, improving in national rankings each year and doubling research support to more than $40 million annually. A nascent biomedical engineering division is predicted to take its place quickly as one of the nation's best, and the department of applied science's new bachelor of science degree program in optical science and engineering is attracting attention throughout the state. Relationships with industry are closer and stronger than ever, Laub says, and several college faculty are now starting their own companies.
"Naturally, all the real credit for our success is due to the energy and expertise of our students, staff and faculty," Laub said. "I enjoyed working with the many outstanding people who were here when I arrived, and I would match the new faculty we've hired in the past few years with the best in any of the top engineering schools in the country."
Laub says he is especially proud of having helped the college raise its standards and expectations. "All the vectors are pointed in the right direction. Our students and faculty are out there building tomorrow's world."
An internationally recognized authority on numerical algorithms for computer-aided control system design, Laub came to UC Davis from UC Santa Barbara, where he was a professor and former chair of electrical and computer engineering. He has received numerous awards for his teaching and research, including UC Santa Barbara's distinguished teaching award and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers award for his "pioneering efforts" in his field of expertise. He received a "Third Millennium Medal" from the institute this year.
The author or editor of five books and more than 200 papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings, Laub has served on the editorial boards of numerous leading journals and has been a consultant to several major companies and federal government laboratories.
He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of British Columbia in 1969, and a master's degree in mathematics in 1972 and a doctorate in control sciences in 1974 from the University of Minnesota.
A national search for a permanent successor will begin shortly.