Marilyn Raphael to serve as director of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability — Letter from Dean Miguel Garcia-Garibay

Marilyn Raphael to serve as the institute’s full director

Dear IoES Community,

Last September, in the midst of a challenging time, Prof. Marilyn Raphael stepped into the role of interim director of IoES. I am delighted to share with you now that Marilyn has agreed to serve as the Institute’s full director for a term of three years.

Some of you may not be aware that Marilyn has been part of the Institute since its formation almost 25 years ago. She also served as chair of the UCLA Department of Geography from 2010 through 2013. In 2017, she was named to the Royal Society’s Women in Science List of 90 Women and also to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research’s Women in Antarctic Science. In March, Marilyn was elected vice president of the American Association of Geographers, the largest geography society in the world, and in April, she was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In the short time that Marilyn has served as interim chair, she has done excellent work strengthening the Institute’s undergraduate and graduate programs. She has reinvigorated faculty participation, established an emphasis on environmental justice, and launched an initiative to improve diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the IoES community. Her engagement with IoES friends and partners has also been excellent and her vision for the future is very compelling.

Please join me in congratulating Marilyn for this commitment. I am grateful for her leadership and look forward to working with her, and all of you, to advance the work of the Institute.

Sincerely,

Miguel García-Garibay

Dean, Division of Physical Sciences

Distinguished Professor of Chemistry