Thomas Katsouleas announced as the new President of UConn. Katsouleas, executive Vice President and provost at the University of Virginia, will replace current UConn President Susan Herbst. (Judah Shingleton/The Daily Campus)
Soon-to-be University of Connecticut President Dr. Thomas Katsouleas comes from a very STEM-oriented background.
Katsouleas received his B.S. in 1979 and Ph.D. in 1984 in physics from UCLA, according to his resumé . He then became an adjunct professor of physics from 1985 to 1991 at the University of California at Los Angeles until he joined the University of Southern California School of Engineering as an associate professor.
It was at USC that Katsouleas began his administrative career, serving as associate dean for student affairs, associate dean for research, president of the faculty and academic senate and interim vice provost for information services.
In 2008, Katsouleas joined the Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. School of Engineering at Duke University. He served as a professor of electrical and computer engineering, as well as a professor of physics. Also in his time at Duke, Katsouleas was the Vinik Dean of Engineering from 2008-2015.
In August 2015, Katsouleas accepted a position as a professor of physics and Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of Virginia. It is from UVA that Katsouleas will join UConn.
Aside from his work in academia, Katsouleas is an inventor. According to a 1998 patent, he and three others invented a “method and apparatus for generating radiation utilizing DC to AC conversion with a conductive front.”
Essentially, the device is used to create radiation and be used in communications, advanced radar, medicine and as a research tool.
From 1983 to 2018, Katsouleas has 269 released publications, according to his resumé, as well has 76 talks he has either spoken at or been invited too. He’s also published six books/journals.
Katsouleas is a fellow at both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Physical Society, the resumé said.
Katsouleas will start off with a $525,000 per year salary, in addition to a $50,000 performance initiative and $75,000 in annual deferred pay at the end of each year, according to the CT Mirror. He will also have $15,000 dedicated to a car, as well as access to housing at Oak Hill, the president’s house and UConn’s house on Scarborough Street in Hartford.
Herbst’s base pay this year was $691,927, after eight years as president, according to the CT Mirror.
Katsouleas made $419,100 at UVA, according to the Hartford Courant.
Luke Hajdasz is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at luke.hajdasz@uconn.edu.
