Francis J. Doyle III was named the University’s 14th provost in a Thursday email to the Brown community from President Christina Paxson P’19. Doyle will start at Brown July 1, 2023.
Doyle comes to Brown from Harvard, where he currently serves as dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Before arriving at Harvard in 2015, Doyle served as associate dean for research at the University of California at Santa Barbara’s College of Engineering. At Harvard SEAS, Doyle oversaw the school’s finances as well as its “research and academic mission” during a period of rapid growth in the school’s undergraduate engineering program, according to a Thursday press release from Brown. Doyle holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.
Professor of Engineering and Interim Provost Larry Larson will continue to fill the position until Doyle takes office next July. Last August, current Provost Richard Locke P’18 announced that he would depart the University at the end of 2022 to become the vice president and dean of Apple University, the technology company’s corporate university.
In the press release, Doyle described his new position as “an incredible opportunity to lead the academic and research enterprise of a world-class university through a period of ambitious expansion.”
“This resonates strongly with my intrinsic character as an entrepreneur and as someone with a growth mindset who thrives in an environment of dynamic change,” he continued.
At Brown, Doyle will be responsible for “strengthening academic excellence” and working closely “with senior deans, faculty and other administrative colleagues across the University to advance Brown’s commitment to the liberal arts and distinctive interdisciplinary approach to education and research,” Paxson wrote in her email.
According to the press release, one factor that drew Doyle to Brown was the University’s Operational Plan for Investing in Research. Announced Oct. 24, the OPIR aims to double internal research funding at the University within the next seven years, The Herald previously reported.
Doyle’s appointment concludes a nationwide search for the next provost announced Sept. 6. The search process included a student listening session with Paxson, who chaired the search committee, and other committee members.
“I am excited about the vision and experience Frank will bring to his role as provost,” Paxson wrote in her email.
Neil Mehta is the editor-in-chief and president of the Brown Daily Herald's 134th editorial board. They study public health and statistics at Brown. Outside the office, you can find Neil baking and playing Tetris.
