University of Utah Provost Mitzi M. Montoya announced that Darryl Butt has accepted an offer to serve as dean of the Graduate School. Butt, who currently serves as the dean of the College of Mines and Earth Sciences and director of the Center for Multi-Scale Fluid-Solid Interactions in Architected and Natural Materials Energy Frontier Research Center, will begin his new role on June 1, 2023.

Butt joined the University of Utah in 2016 as a dean and professor of metallurgical engineering, coming to us with diverse experiences in academia, national laboratories, and industry. As dean of the College of Mines and Earth Sciences (CMES), Butt established strategic plans to address diversity; safety and security; student, staff and faculty success; cross-campus collaboration; fiscal stewardship and transparency. Under his leadership, the EpiCenter, a hub of student activity and advising for the college, was created, and the departments of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering were merged. Butt has also been instrumental in enabling the merger of the College of Mines and Earth Sciences and College of Science.

“Dean Butt’s track record for collaboration and problem-solving has made him a leader on campus, both of students and his peers,” Montoya said. “I look forward to working with him as he lends his expertise to help our professors and graduate students on their path to greatness.”

The Graduate School offers more than 200 graduate degrees and supports more than 8,400 students enrolled in programs that vary from Master of Architecture to a doctorate in Nuclear Engineering. As dean of the Graduate School, Butt will assess ongoing improvements to all academic programs and centers at the U through the Graduate Council Review process and enable the development of interdisciplinary graduate programs for multi-college academic degrees and certificates.

“I’m humbled and excited to be taking on the role of graduate school dean,” Butt said. “One of the joys I get from research is watching the development of students and postdocs, and helping them find their ‘professional selves’.  I’m looking forward to being their advocate as well as supporting the incredible faculty and staff at the University in support of our ambitious research mission.”