Expert in Carbon Capture and Conversion Technology to Lead Department
Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park has been appointed as the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, with her term commencing on September 1, as reported by the UCLA Newsroom. Park is a renowned carbon capture and conversion technology expert, currently holding the position of Lenfest Earth Institute Professor of Climate Change and chair of the Department of Earth and environmental engineering at Columbia University since 2007. She also serves as the director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy and holds executive committee memberships in The Earth Institute and Columbia Climate School.
The selection of Park as the dean reflects the university’s confidence in her visionary leadership and her ability to drive further advancements in engineering education and research for the betterment of society. In a message to the campus, Darnell Hunt, UCLA’s executive vice chancellor, and provost, expressed his belief in the positive impact Park will have on UCLA Samueli.
During her tenure at Columbia, Park spearheaded interdisciplinary research and educational programs focused on sustainable energy and decarbonization. Notably, she initiated the CarbonTech Development Initiative, a collaboration between the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy and the Center on Global Energy Policy, aimed at translational decarbonization research. Park also played a pivotal role in enhancing faculty and student diversity within her units, fostering a cultural shift toward equity, inclusion, and respect.
Park’s involvement extends beyond academia, as she actively participates in collaborations with organizations such as UN Women, supporting entrepreneurship in sustainable energy in developing countries, and Columbia’s Women in Energy initiative.
Expressing her excitement and humility, Park emphasized the critical role of engineering and computer science in addressing major challenges and opportunities, including climate change, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. She looks forward to collaborating with the diverse community of faculty, students, staff, alumni, and colleagues at UCLA Samueli to engineer positive change for a better future.
Park’s research primarily focuses on sustainable energy and materials conversion pathways, particularly emphasizing integrated carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies. Her team investigates direct air capture of carbon dioxide, negative emission technologies, and sustainable construction materials with low carbon intensity.
An accomplished academic, Park holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical and biological engineering from the University of British Columbia and a doctorate in chemical and biomolecular engineering from Ohio State University. She has received numerous accolades, including prestigious awards from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society, and the National Science Foundation. Park’s expertise is recognized by her fellowships in esteemed organizations such as AIChE, the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Additionally, she serves as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, Research, and Development.
Bruce Dunn, a distinguished professor and former associate dean for research and physical resources at UCLA Engineering, has been serving as the interim dean since August 2022.
