David Kotz ’86, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor in computer science who has served Dartmouth in several senior administrative roles, has been named interim provost, President Philip J. Hanlon ’77 announced today.
Kotz previously served a year in the interim role in 2017-2018 and spent six years as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ associate dean of sciences. He begins work as provost on July 1. The interim appointment follows the announcement in April that Provost Joseph Helble has been named the next president of Lehigh University and will leave Dartmouth this summer.
“Dave is the ideal person for this role. He has the respect of Dartmouth’s faculty and senior leadership and is held in high esteem in his field,” says President Hanlon. “I look forward to working closely with Dave once again.”
Kotz says he welcomes a return to the interim role.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve Dartmouth in this role again and I’m deeply grateful to Joe Helble for his steady leadership in guiding our community through this most challenging of times,” he says.
The provost reports to the president and is Dartmouth’s chief academic and fiscal officer. The position is charged with elevating the academic profile of the institution and, in consultation with the academic deans, is directly responsible for supporting and advancing the teaching and scholarship of Dartmouth faculties and schools. In addition, the provost is responsible for supporting and advancing all student-related programs; has significant fiscal oversight; and works closely with the executive vice president to manage Dartmouth’s academic budget.
A committee will be appointed soon to begin a national search to fill the permanent provost position.
In addition to his time as an associate dean, Kotz served as executive director of Dartmouth’s Institute for Security, Technology, and Society and as core director of Dartmouth’s Center for Technology and Behavioral Health.
His research interests include computer security and privacy, computing in the field of health care, and wireless networks. He frequently collaborates with faculty and students across the arts and sciences divisions, at the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, Tuck School of Business, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
This past March, Kotz was named a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world’s largest and most prestigious association of computing professionals. The honor is reserved for the top 1% of the organization’s membership, who represent prominent innovators in all fields of computing from around the world.
Kotz has mentored more than 100 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers in his three decades as a member on the Dartmouth faculty. He has published more than 230 refereed scientific papers and obtained more than $82 million in grant funding.
He is currently leading a five-year National Science Foundation research program, the aim of which is to reduce the privacy and security risks related to using so-called smart technologies at home—devices such as televisions, baby monitors, refrigerators, thermostats—that have the capability of connecting to the internet. In addition, he is the principal investigator on three large grants from the National Science Foundation and co-leads the Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health.
Kotz is a fellow of the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), was a Fulbright Fellow to India in 2008, and in 2019 was a visiting professor at ETH Zürich. He is an elected member of Phi Beta Kappa. Kotz received his PhD and master’s degree in computer science from Duke University. He majored in computer science and physics as a Dartmouth undergraduate. He is an avid hiker and photographer and blogs about his journeys near and far.
Susan Boutwell can be reached at susan.j.boutwell@dartmouth.edu
