Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that Sabrina C. Agarwal has been appointed as interim dean of the Division of Undergraduate Studies in the College of Letters & Science, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
Professor Agarwal joined UC Berkeley in 2004. She earned her B.A., M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on bioethics; sex and gender-related changes in bone quantity and quality; and the relationship of those changes to social identity and inequality, embodiment, developmental plasticity, disability, and health.
Professor Agarwal has held several leadership roles in the Department of Anthropology, including serving as its chair for the past three years. She has also served as Special Advisor to Chancellor Christ on Native American repatriation and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) compliance from 2022 to 2025 and as the Chair of the NAGPRA Implementation Committee from 2020 to 2024. She is a 2020 recipient of Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award and a 2015 recipient of the Graduate Division’s Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship of GSIs.
As an interdisciplinary scholar whose work sits at the intersection of three L&S divisions, Professor Agarwal has a strong commitment to Berkeley's mission, and ensuring that students receive a broad, rigorous liberal arts and sciences education grounded in equity, inclusion, and a genuine sense of community and belonging in the College.
Please join us in congratulating Professor Agarwal on this new role. To learn more about her, please visit the Letters & Science website.
Executive Dean of the College Letters & Science Jennifer Johnson-Hanks will continue her oversight of the Undergraduate Studies Division through the end of June. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dean Johnson-Hanks for her dedication to undergraduate education, leadership of the division, and exceptional service to Berkeley.
In fall, we will launch a search for the next permanent dean of the Division of Undergraduate Studies. We plan to post the position this fall and announce the new dean in spring 2027, with an anticipated July 1, 2027 start date.
Sincerely,
Richard K. Lyons
Chancellor
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
