The below message was sent to all UC Berkeley staff, faculty and academics on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Dear Colleagues,

We wish to let you know that Richard Harland will be completing his planned three-year appointment as dean of the Division of Biological Sciences on June 30, 2027. We are grateful for his many years of service in leadership roles within the division.

During his tenure, Dean Harland has continued the Division of Biological Science’s long history of scientific and scholarly excellence. He has focused on deepening connections with campus and community partners, revitalizing facilities, and improving operational and administrative structures. Dean Harland’s strong commitment to advancing biological sciences is reflected in the division’s success in recruiting of the best and brightest faculty and students. He continues to be a strong advocate for the division’s outstanding academic and research programs and has tirelessly pursued new ways to support the University’s teaching, research, and service missions. 

As part of his commitment to maintain the division’s legacy of stellar faculty, students, and principle-driven research, Dean Harland has championed and raised philanthropic support for undergraduate research experiences across the division throughout his deanship. As modeled in the Harland Lab and the labs of other divisional leaders, undergraduates receive hands-on training, mentorship, enrichment, and student-readiness resources. Harland has endeavored to lift up innovative faculty-led initiatives in a range of areas such as genome engineering, drug discovery, cancer, immunology, rare diseases, and global health. Under his tenure, the Department of Neuroscience has developed rapidly; its faculty recruitment and fundraising efforts extend and build on the division’s legacy of excellence in the life sciences. Through the end of his term, Dean Harland will continue to advance several key initiatives, including improving operational efficiencies, expanding opportunities in undergraduate research, and increasing financial sustainability.

More information about the next dean search will be shared in the coming months. In the meantime, we invite you to review our dean searches FAQ to address any potential questions about the search process. Our plan is to launch the search for Dean Harland’s successor this spring with the goal of a July 1, 2027 start date. For additional questions, please contact our dean search coordinator, Sumali Tuchrello.

Sincerely,

Richard K. Lyons
Chancellor

Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost