FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2003
FY03-27
Liotta Elected Chair of ORAU Board of Directors
Charles L. Liotta, Vice Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies and Regents Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, was elected Chair of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Board of Directors at the 58th annual meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions in Atlanta, Georgia. The board manages the property and affairs of ORAU for its membership.
ORAU is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 88 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.
As Vice Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at Georgia Tech, Dr. Liotta guides the investment of research resources and nurtures the development of researchers and their programs. The Office of Research and Graduate Studies oversees the administration of a research enterprise expending over $340 million annually. His management team supports interdisciplinary program development, manages the business processes for the research funding, and invests in world-class research facilities.
As Regents’ Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Dr. Liotta’s research activities involve both synthetic and physical-organic chemistry with emphasis on heterogeneous reaction processes (phase transfer catalysis) and environmentally benign reaction processes using supercritical fluids, near-critical water, and ionic liquids. Dr. Liotta has published 150 technical papers and has presented over 300 invited seminars.
Dr. Liotta earned his B.S. in 1959 from Brooklyn College and his Ph.D in 1963 from the University of Maryland. After two years of post-doctoral work, Dr. Liotta joined the Georgia Tech faculty as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry in 1965 and rose through the ranks to his current position. While at Georgia Tech, Dr. Liotta has received the Outstanding Teacher Award, the Outstanding Faculty Award, and the Georgia Tech Sigma Xi Research Award. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley and works as a consultant for DuPont, Milliken and AMPAC.
After serving two years as Councilor to ORAU for Georgia Tech, Dr. Liotta joined ORAU’s Board of Directors in 2000 and served on the Board Compensation Committee from 2000-2001. From 2001-2003, he served on the Board Executive Committee and as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors. Dr. Liotta will serve as Chair of the Board of Directors and the Board Executive Committee from 2003-2005.