Marios Papaefthymiou Reappointed as Dean of ICS

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the reappointment of Marios Papaefthymiou to an additional term as the Ted and Janice Smith Family Foundation Dean of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences. This decision follows a comprehensive review that included materials submitted by Dean Papaefthymiou and input from faculty, staff, campus administrators and external stakeholders. We are grateful to the review committee and its chair, Paul Dourish, Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Informatics and Steckler Endowed Chair in Information and Computer Science, for their thoughtful engagement throughout the process.

During his current term, Dean Papaefthymiou has led the School through a period of sustained and meaningful growth, strengthening its standing as a global leader in human-centered computing and advancing a vision that connects research excellence, student success and workforce-ready education.

Under his leadership, the School has expanded its faculty with leading researchers from academia and industry in areas central to the future of computing – including artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction and security. Annual research expenditures have grown to more than $26 million, doctoral enrollment has increased by 25% to over 400 students, and a portfolio of professional master’s programs, including a new Master of Data Science, now enrolls more than 200 students each year. The School also played a pivotal role in launching several interdisciplinary research centers, among them the Connected Learning Lab, the HPI Research Center in Machine Learning and Data Science, and the Steckler Center for Responsible, Ethical and Accessible Technology.

Dean Papaefthymiou has been a champion of student success and experiential learning. Through its Student Success Initiative, the School has expanded access to academic support via a dedicated Tutoring Hub, cultivated a thriving student organization ecosystem that fosters inclusion and professional development, and scaled capstone project opportunities with campus and industry partners – culminating each year in a Project Expo that draws more than 1,000 participants. The School also established the ICS Summer Academy, which welcomes more than 200 high school students annually from across the region, the country and abroad.

On the philanthropic front, the School has secured significant support from individual donors and industry over the past five years. A highlight is the $35.5 million estate gift from Paul and Jo Butterworth – the largest alumni gift in UC Irvine history – to support scholarships, fellowships and research for generations of students to come.

Dean Papaefthymiou is poised to carry this momentum forward in the years ahead. Please join me in congratulating him on his reappointment and in recognizing his service and contributions to UC Irvine.

Sincerely,

Hal Stern
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Distinguished Professor, Department of Statistics

Announcement was originally posted by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.