Dorhout named Kansas State University’s interim vice president for research
Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University has named Peter K. Dorhout as interim vice president for research, effective Jan. 3, 2016.
Dorhout has served as dean of Kansas State University's College of Arts & Sciences and professor of chemistry since 2012 and will continue to also fill those roles until an interim dean for the college is selected. An expedited internal search for an interim dean will be initiated immediately with an expected appointment by early February.
Before coming to Kansas State University, Dorhout was the interim provost at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He also served as vice provost for graduate studies, assistant vice president for research and professor of chemistry at Colorado State University-Fort Collins.
"Dr. Dorhout's extensive experience leading research programs and as a researcher will be a tremendous asset in helping us continue our work to become a Top 50 public research university by 2025," said Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz. "The innovative thought he's shown at K-State, as well as with previous leadership roles, will help propel our university research in areas of national and international prominence."
Dorhout has served as a collaborator at Los Alamos National Laboratory since 1987. He has led professional organizations and foundations as a member of the boards of directors for the American Chemical Society, the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Kansas State University Research Foundation, Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance and the Coronado Council BSA executive board.
"I’m excited to begin this new role of working together with our university community on research," Dorhout said. "We have a number of things that we need to tee-up in the coming year to be sure we are on the right track for meeting our 2025 goal of becoming a Top 50 public research university. Building on our successes in RSCAD will require continued engagement with faculty, staff and students who are the true innovators on our campuses. My job will be to make their jobs easier, safer and more productive."
Dorhout is recognized as an expert in solid state and nuclear materials science and environmental chemistry. He has had active research programs in solid-state f-element and radiochemistry, and nanomaterials science, he has published more than 115 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and reviews, and has presented at more than 130 international and national invited lectures on his research.
He has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His list of professional awards includes fellow of the American Chemical Society, Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, A.P. Sloan Foundation fellow, National Science Foundation CAREER fellow and the ACS-ExxonMobil Faculty Award in Solid State Chemistry.
