The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has chosen Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya to serve as its interim leader for the Graduate School.  

Bhattacharyya — who already is heavily involved in research and graduate studies at the university — will fill the interim leadership position of vice provost for research and dean of the UALR Graduate School.

His new role begins July 1.

Bhattacharyya currently is the associate dean of the UALR Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) and previously served as the college’s interim dean and the applied science graduate coordinator.

As associate dean of the EIT college, he collaborated with colleagues in the college and throughout campus as faculty developed accelerated Bachelor of Science plus Master of Science (BS+MS) programs. He also played a pivotal role in administering the UALR-UAMS joint graduate program in bioinformatics and served as UALR’s representative on the Science Advisory Committee of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers recently elected him as an ASME Fellow, recognizing his significant contributions to the mechanical engineering community.

Bhattacharyya will replace Paula Casey, who announced her retirement after serving in the position since 2013.

“I want to express my gratitude to Dean Casey for her contributions in advancing our graduate school and our research,” said Dr. Zulma Toro, executive vice chancellor and provost.

Bhattacharyya was a great fit based on his academic and research experience and knowledge of the needs, vision, and goals of the university, Toro said.

About Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya

Bhattacharyya joined UALR in 2002 as an associate professor.

His research is in materials engineering with a focus on smart materials and thin films. The Department of Defense, NASA, the Department of Energy and NSF-EPSCOR have funded Bhattacharyya’s research for a total of about $1.3 million, and he is the author of nearly 90 publications.

Bhattacharyya has mentored high school and undergraduate students, and also has mentored and taught Ph.D. and Master of Science students.

His experience and leadership roles include:

• EIT Graduate Curriculum Committee chair (2005-08)
• Graduate Council member (2007-09)
• Applied science graduate coordinator (2006-10)
• EIT associate dean (2011-14 and July 2015 to present)
• EIT interim dean (January to June 2015)
• UALR representative on the Science Advisory Committee of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority (2010-2013)