Apr 28, 2025
Dear colleagues,
James Bullock, Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, has informed Chancellor Gillman and me that he has accepted a position as Dean of the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at University of Southern California, effective July 1, 2025.
Having served as Dean since 2019, Dean Bullock first joined UC Irvine as an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy in 2004. Over the past two decades, he has served in a range of academic roles including Department Chair, Director of the Center for Cosmology, and a member of the first cohort of the Provost's Leadership Academy. In addition, Dean Bullock launched the campuswide Solutions That Scale initiative bringing together researchers focused on climate change and environmental sustainability.
Under his leadership, the School of Physical Sciences doubled philanthropic support through increased alumni and donor engagement. Dean Bullock led efforts to increase extramural funding for the School; successes include more than $20 million in support for the Eddleman Quantum Institute and three large federally-funded research centers. He also founded an industry advisory board made up of local CEOs and School alumni.
An accomplished scholar, Dean Bullock specializes in the field of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology to study galaxy formation and the nature of dark matter. He serves on the Space Telescope Institute Council, is a member and former chair of the James Webb Space Telescope User Committee, and he served as Director of the UC multicampus Southern California Center for Galaxy Evolution. Dean Bullock is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society.
My office will initiate consultation with faculty and staff shortly regarding the appointment of an interim dean and make plans for a search for a permanent dean.
Please join me in thanking Dean Bullock for his service and contributions to UC Irvine and in wishing him well in his next chapter.
Sincerely,
Hal Stern
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Distinguished Professor, Department of Statistics