James E. Darnell, Jr., Vincent Astor Professor at the Rockefeller University, has been appointed vice president for academic affairs, a new position at the school.
Darnell, 59, was named to the position by President-Elect David Baltimore and will become the university's chief academic officer. He will assume the post July 1.
Darnell has been a professor at Rockefeller since 1973 and says he looks forward to his new position. His new duties include more responsibility for the university's faculty, as well as a continued involvement with various student programs. Noting that the total number of professors at Rockefeller has dwindled to 43 in the past couple of years, Darnell sees correcting this trend as one of his primary goals. "[My new position] will present me with the opportunity to interact more with faculty," he says. "We need to regroup and restaff." In addition to his administrative duties, Darnell says, he...