Welcome to Academic Affairs
Distinguished Professor David W. Pershing, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs since 1997, earned his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1970 and his Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Arizona in 1976.
Dr. Pershing joined the University of Utah as an Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering in 1977. He was named Presidential Young Investigator by the National Science Foundation in 1984 and became Dean of the College of Engineering in 1987. He has had brilliant career in academia, government, industry and consulting. He has more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, more than 20 research grants, and five patents to his credit.
Dr. Pershing has won both the Distinguished Teaching and Distinguished Research Awards and is the 1997 recipient of the Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence. He is the director of the Univerity of Utah's Center for Simulation of Accidental Fires and Explosions, fueled by a $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy of Utah.
