By Donald Gilpin

Rodney Priestley
(Photo courtesy of Princeton University, Frank Wojciechowski)

Rodney Priestley, Princeton University professor of chemical and biological engineering and vice dean for innovation, will be dean of the Graduate School, beginning on June 1, 2022.

In his new role, Priestley, a leading researcher in complex materials and processing who has performed groundbreaking research in materials science since joining the Princeton faculty in 2009, will be focused on innovation, inclusion, and promoting interdisciplinary research and scholarship, according to a Princeton University Communications Department press release.

“My interest in becoming dean of Princeton’s graduate school originates with my own personal experience of graduate school,” said Priestley. “The mentorship, encouragement, and support I received has enabled every goal I have reached throughout my career. My advisers’ belief in me has always inspired me to give back to others to whatever extent possible.”

In addition to his innovative research in materials science, Priestley’s work has “facilitated the development and translation of intellectual property derived from that research into products and enterprises, and expanded Princeton’s ties with industry, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, alumni, and other partners,” the University press release stated, adding that “all the while, he has maintained a deep commitment to recruiting and developing Princeton graduate talent from all backgrounds.”

Priestley’s research group has focused on materials that undergo changes and join together when confined in small spaces, suggesting possibilities for many new applications in the fields of drug delivery, designer colloids, and sustainable manufacturing.

Priestley’s predecessor as Graduate School dean, Philosophy Professor Sarah-Jane Leslie, stepped down in July 2021, and since then Graduate School Deputy Dean Cole Crittenden has served as acting dean.

Princeton University Provost Deborah Prentice, who chaired a search committee of faculty members and graduate students that proposed the selection of Priestley, described him as “a committed educator, a creative problem-solver, and an empathic listener and observer.” She added, “Rod will make a wonderful dean of the Graduate School.”

Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber noted, “Rod Priestley is a superb scholar, a dedicated teacher, and a proven administrator.  He cares deeply about graduate students and graduate education, and I am confident that he will lead Princeton’s Graduate School with distinction.”

There are nearly 3,000 students enrolled in the Graduate School working towards master’s and doctoral degrees in 42 different departments and programs.

Priestley, who earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Texas Tech University and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Ecole Superieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles in Paris before joining the Princeton University faculty as an assistant professor in 2009.

He became an associate professor in 2015, a full professor in 2019, and was named the Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and vice dean for innovation in 2020. He served as director of graduate studies for his department from 2017 to 2020. In 2021 Priestley received a Clio Award from the Graduate School in recognition of his work in strengthening entrepreneurship awareness and training for graduate students and for his role in developing inclusive leadership training.

Priestley has published more than 100 articles, co-founded two startup companies based on inventions made in his Princeton laboratory, is co-inventor on 10 patent-pending technologies, and has co-edited a book on polymer colloids.

He is associate editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society Au, and has been the recipient of many honors and awards for his research, scholarship, and teaching.

Priestley will continue as co-director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps Northeast Hub, a Princeton University-led consortium of universities forming a new innovation network with a $15 million grant from the NSF.

Princeton University Dean for Research and Professor in Engineering and Applied Science and Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Pablo Benedetti praised Priestley as “an extraordinary inaugural dean for innovation.”

Benedetti continued, “His vision, creativity, and energy have enabled transformative initiatives, such as the Princeton Alliance for Collaborative Research and Innovation and the START fellowship, that speak to Princeton’s bedrock commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to a robust engagement with the broader innovation ecosystem. He will now bring his outstanding scholarly, entrepreneurial, and leadership credentials to his new role as dean of the Graduate School.”