Mary Cunningham Boyce was named dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Boyce will assume her new role as dean on July 1. Currently, she is the Ford Professor of Engineering and chair of the department of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Her research is focused on the molecular and nanomechanics of polymers.
Professor Boyce joined the faculty at MIT in 1987. She is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and hold a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from MIT.
Columbia University President Lee Bollinger stated when announcing the appointment, “Columbia is fortunate to welcome such an impressive dean at a time of both signal accomplishment and new opportunity for our School of Engineering and Applied Science as it approaches its 150th anniversary. Professor Boyce has distinguished herself throughout her academic career not only as a scholar but also as a teacher and mentor driven by an abiding commitment to nurturing the next generation of engineers.”