Bruce D. McCombe was appointed interim provost on January 1, 2012. A physicist by training, McCombe received his bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College and his doctorate in solid state physics from Brown University. Prior to joining UB’s faculty in 1982, McCombe was head of the Electronics Technology Division of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.
Since joining UB’s faculty, McCombe has served as Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Associate Dean for Research and Sponsored Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School. He was Director of UB’s Center for Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials and the Center for Spin Effects and Quantum Information in Nanostructures. From 2006 through 2011, McCombe served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
As Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, McCombe oversaw the latter part of a period of substantial growth in faculty, bringing the total number of tenured or tenure-track faculty to 487 by 2008. While facilitating increased fundraising activity, McCombe also managed the college during a time of unprecedented budget cuts, with minimal impact to teaching and research. During his tenure, McCombe raised graduate student stipends, and increased the number of courses offered at UB during the Summer.
A fellow of the American Physical Society, he is the author or co-author of more than 260 articles in refereed journals and refereed and non-refereed conference proceedings. A former editor of Physica E, Low Dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, he has presented more than 120 invited talks at national and international conferences and workshops, and has organized or co-organized three international conferences and several international workshops and symposia.
The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs is the university’s chief academic officer and is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the university’s academic vision. The Provost provides leadership across the academic enterprise through the articulation and support of academic priorities. These priorities include excellence in undergraduate, graduate, and professional education; faculty excellence in teaching, research, and public service; intellectual, geographic and cultural diversity of faculty and students; trans-disciplinary innovation in research, scholarship, and creative activities; and global leadership in research and education. As the university’s second ranking officer, the Provost reports directly to the President.
