Dear Campus Community,
We are very pleased to announce that, after a comprehensive national search, Eric T. Meyer has been selected to serve as the new dean of the School of Information. Dean Meyer is currently dean of the School of Information at University of Texas, Austin, where he has been for the past six years. He will be joining the UC Berkeley community in his new role on August 1, 2024.
At the intersection of technology, social sciences, and the humanities, the I School’s aim is to develop innovative interdisciplinary solutions to challenges in technology, influence policy, and empower individuals to navigate a complex and evolving digital landscape. The school has achieved national and global recognition for its research in advancing knowledge and practice at the intersection of people and technology. Dean Meyer’s own research focuses on social informatics, bridging the social sciences, computing, data science, digital humanities, and information science. Throughout his career, he has maintained a commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship. This allows him to bridge gaps between different fields and unite researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, a key strength that will underpin his leadership as dean.
Expanding justice and opportunity has been a significant priority during Dean Meyer’s tenure at UT Austin. As a trained anthropologist, he emphasizes community engagement and strives to create innovative and locally relevant solutions. Over the past six years, Dean Meyer and his team developed and enhanced academic programs, including leading the school to becoming the first college or school in UT history to transition from graduate-only education to offering a full range of undergraduate and graduate degrees. His dedication to DEI efforts, mentoring, collaborative approach to decision making, and leadership experience at a large public state university distinguished him as the standout candidate for the deanship.
In addition to serving as dean, Dean Meyer is also the Mary R. Boyvey Chair and Louis T. Yule Regents Professor at UT Austin. With more than thirty years in academia, he brings extensive experience across teaching, administration and leadership. Dean Meyer is a senior fellow at the University of Oxford, where he previously served for over a decade in various leadership positions and as a professor of social informatics. He holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Ohio University, a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in information science from Indiana University. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, one book, numerous reports, and is highly sought-after for lectures, speaking opportunities and panels. He understands firsthand that the pathway to success includes leaning into the interdisciplinary nature of the School of Information and the global nature of information. Dean Meyer’s knowledge, understanding and experience with both the challenges and opportunities ahead make him particularly well suited to lead this next chapter at Berkeley.
You can read more about Dean Meyer on Berkeley News
We would like to thank the search committee for their time and diligent efforts during the recruitment process. Additionally, we extend our sincere gratitude to Marti Hearst for her service as interim dean over this academic year.
Please join us in welcoming Eric Meyer to Berkeley, and in supporting him as he takes on the leadership of the School of Information.
Sincerely,
Carol T. ChristChancellor
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost