The University of Texas at Arlington is pleased to announce the appointment of Duane B. Dimos of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., as vice president for research.

During his 25 years at Sandia, Dr. Dimos has served in a wide variety of leadership and management positions, including as acting vice president of the Science and Technology Division. Sandia, the nation's premier science and engineering laboratory for national security and technology innovation, is operated and managed by Sandia Corp., a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., and is a contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

Dr. Dimos is an expert in materials science and engineering who has published more than 140 technical papers, edited four proceedings volumes and holds 11 patents. He is a fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Ceramic Society. He was recruited through a highly competitive national search.

At Sandia, Dr. Dimos has been actively involved in nanotechnologies, leading programs in materials aging and reliability, developing new energy programs in materials and in a wide range of national security research and development efforts.

In recent years, Dr. Dimos has played key roles in Sandia's partnerships with the University of Arizona, the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas System.

At UT Arlington, Dr. Dimos will work closely with President Vistasp M. Karbhari, faculty, staff and students to expand the University's research and entrepreneurial enterprise, to foster commercialization of University intellectual property, and to ensure the scientific integrity and the responsible conduct of research.

"We are thrilled to welcome Duane Dimos to UT Arlington, and we know that his international reputation as a scientist, his lifelong commitment to research and innovation and success in cultivating partnerships among government, industry and educational institutions will inject our research endeavors with added momentum," President Karbhari said.

"Dr. Dimos is dedicated to enabling student and faculty success, which is essential in our drive for pre-eminence. He also brings considerable experience in partnering with community organizations and schools to engage students and further the public's understanding of the importance of science and engineering in society."

Dr. Dimos earned his undergraduate degree in physics with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley, and his master's and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He worked as a senior scientist in private industry and later as a postdoctoral scientist for IBM's Research Division in New York before joining Sandia in 1990.

Dr. Dimos officially joins UT Arlington on April 1. He succeeds Dr. Carolyn Cason, a professor and former associate dean of nursing, who was named interim vice president for research in fall 2011 and has held the position permanently since fall 2012.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching ranks UT Arlington as a Research University/High Research Activity. Total research activity has more than tripled over the past 10 years and is steadily climbing toward an aggressive goal of exceeding $100 million within the next four years.

Dr. Dimos said he was attracted to UT Arlington by President Karbhari's commitment to accelerating the University's research program in the dynamic North Texas region, the University's excellent faculty and facilities such as the UT Arlington Research Institute and the Shimadzu Institute for Research Technologies and its Nanotechnology Research Center. Collaboration across disciplines and among institutions will be key to driving UT Arlington research activity to new heights, he said.

"There's so much going on in Texas in terms of the strong business environment - there is strength in the defense, microelectronics, health care, information technology and energy sectors," Dr. Dimos said. "There's no question that we will be able to take full advantage of that environment to develop a leading edge research program at UT Arlington."

Dr. Richard Buckius, chief operating officer for the National Science Foundation, noted his respect for, and strong collaborations with, Dr. Dimos over the years.

"I worked with Duane as chair of Sandia National Laboratories' Engineering Sciences External Review Board when I was the vice president for research at Purdue University, and I am confident that Duane will be a great asset for UT Arlington in helping to take the University's research program to the next level," Buckius said.

Dr. Dimos and his wife Cathy have one son, who attends college in Texas.