Dr. Simon North appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Following a national search, Dr. Simon North has been appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University, effective June 1.

“Dr. North is well prepared to lead the college at this important moment,” said Dr. Alan Sams, provost and executive vice president. “He brings a strong record of academic leadership, a deep understanding of Texas A&M and a demonstrated commitment to advancing excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.”

North has served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since September 2025. He is the John W. Bevan Professor of Chemistry and previously served as executive associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences beginning in June 2024. Prior to that role, he served as head of the Department of Chemistry beginning in 2016, following appointments as interim head and associate head of the department.

“As the intellectual heart of the university, the College of Arts and Sciences has long stood as a cornerstone of this institution, driven by ambition, guided by tradition, and united in the belief that our work can shape a better world,” North said. “I am proud to serve as dean and to champion the research, teaching and service that ignite curiosity, empower future leaders and strengthen the communities we are called to serve.”

He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1995 before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1997 as a member of the Department of Chemistry and has spent nearly three decades advancing the university’s missions of teaching, research and service.

In addition to his leadership roles within the college, North serves as co-director of the National Aerothermochemistry and Hypersonic Flight Laboratory and previously served as associate director of the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and the Environment. He also spent nearly a decade as one of the primary advising and recruiting contacts for the Texas A&M chemistry graduate program.

North played a significant role in the planning and development of Texas A&M’s Instructional Laboratory and Innovative Learning Building, now recognized as one of the premier laboratory facilities in the country and a model for undergraduate chemistry instruction.

His commitment to student success and academic excellence has been recognized through numerous honors, including the inaugural College of Arts and Sciences Administration Award in 2025 and The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards in Teaching at both the university and college levels.

“I am confident he will provide the vision, steadiness and collaborative leadership needed to build on the college’s momentum and further strengthen its impact across the university, the state and beyond,” Sams said.