Birkland Named Associate Dean

Dr. Thomas A. Birkland has been named associate dean for research, extension, engagement and economic development in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The appointment was effective  Jan. 1.

Birkland will support faculty in seeking grants and fellowships and serve as an advocate for college research and scholarship. His other priorities include providing support for extension and engagement in the college and promoting multidisciplinary research on important issues.

Birkland, the William T. Kretzer Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Public Affairs, is an expert on public policy related to natural and man-made disasters.

He came to NC State in 2007 from the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he was a member of the political science and public administration faculties and director of the Center for Policy Research. He also served as a program officer at the National Science Foundation in 2006.

Birkland received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Washington. His most recent scholarly book is Lessons of Disaster (Georgetown University Press). The third edition of his widely adopted textbook, An Introduction to the Policy Process, was published last month.