An announcement from Brian Buhr, Dean of CFANS :
I’m delighted to announce that Brent Williams, PhD, has been named the new head of the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate (SWAC), effective July 24, 2023. Brent succeeds professor Carl Rosen, who has led the department for the last 13 years and will remain in SWAC, refocusing his time on research and teaching.
Professor Williams comes to us from Washington University, St. Louis, where he served as associate professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering and also served as director of the WashU Climate Change Program. Prior to that, Williams served as the Raymond R. Tucker Career Development Assistant Professor in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University and held postdoc appointments at Aerodyne Research’s Center for Aerosol and Cloud Chemistry and the University of Minnesota’s Particle Technology Laboratory. Professor Williams earned his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley.
His research interests focus on the exploration of the composition, chemistry, and physical properties of Earth's atmosphere to determine the role of biogenic and anthropogenic gasses and particles in Earth's climate system and their impact on human health.
As department head, Williams plans to deepen internal collaboration between the department and other units across the College and across the University as well as expand external partnerships with entities such as the US Department of Agriculture – all in the spirit of identifying new and interdisciplinary research initiatives. He also aims to increase SWAC engagement with diverse populations including Tribal colleges and build relationships with immigrant communities and several community-based farmers associations unique to Minnesota. With his experience and credentials, Williams will be a valuable asset to our leadership team, and I look forward to working with him.
I also want to extend my gratitude to the search committee for their diligence during and investment in the hiring process.
Please join me in welcoming Brent Williams to the University of Minnesota and to CFANS.
Sincerely,
Brian Buhr
Dean, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Director, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station
Professor, Department of Applied Economics