‘A Breath of Fresh Air’: Many Faculty Laud David Parkes’ New Leadership as SEAS Dean

Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences David C. Parkes has garnered support and approval from numerous faculty members after his first semester at the helm of the school.

Several professors praised Parkes’ proactive approach to interdepartmental collaboration, transparent decision-making, and open communication, which they say have revitalized faculty involvement in administrative affairs.

Venkatesh Narayanamurti, a professor of technology and public policy who served as SEAS dean from 1998 to 2008, lauded Parkes for his strong interpersonal skills.

“He has empathy,” Narayanamurti said. “Very often many administrators don’t understand what that means.”

James G. Anderson, a professor of atmospheric chemistry, said that Parkes’s “remarkable intellectual wingspan” has also helped him unite a physically far-flung faculty representing a wide variety of disciplines.

“I think this drive on his part has served to elevate multiple collaborations that make this university far more effective than the sum of its individual parts,” he added.

Parkes took office during a period of large funding increases — which also posed new geographic challenges for the school.

The 2020 expansion of SEAS across the Charles River to the ultramodern, 500,000-square-foot Science and Engineering Complex split the faculty between the Cambridge and Allston campuses.

Eric Mazur, a professor of applied physics, said that Parkes’ appointment came at a time when morale was “low in general” due to the separation, with many faculty feeling deprived of agency in the school’s administration. Parkes, he said, has taken steps to repair the divide.

Mazur said the SEAS Steering Committee that Parkes chairs — a faculty group that advises on administrative operations — now convenes each week on the Cambridge campus instead of Allston to ensure that all faculty are included in administrative discussions.

“Just the fact that he can bring people from two totally different areas from opposing sides of the river together to plan out new things is pretty impressive,” Mazur said.

Stephanie Gil, an assistant professor of computer science, pointed to Parkes’ skill in navigating additional challenges — including post-Covid-19 community redesign and President Claudine Gay’s recent resignation — that have hit SEAS.

She noted in a Friday emailed statement that Parkes has organized speaker series events to address issues facing the school and holds dean office hours for faculty and staff.

“What is clear is that the dean cares to repair and create community, which is essential to our success as researchers, learners, and individuals,” Gil wrote.

Though Parkes is still in the early stages of his tenure, he is “thoughtfully and energetically” pursuing initiatives that have sparked optimism, according to Doeke R. Hekstra, an assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology and applied physics.

Fawwaz Habbal, a senior lecturer on applied physics, said Parkes’ extensive history at the school gave him a unique appreciation of initiatives like the Center for Nanoscale Systems.

“Many times newcomers, new faculty, come and look at this, say ‘We’re spending so much money on this, why are we doing that?’” Habbal said.

But Parkes, Habbal said, “wasn’t the kind of guy who did that.”

“It was very obvious to him that this is important,” Habbal added.

Computer Science professor Boaz Barak wrote in a Monday emailed statement that “David Parkes has done, so far, an excellent job as dean” and partially credited him for the stability at the school amid tensions at the University.

“While it’s well known that our campus had more than its share of turmoils this last semester, I think SEAS has been a bright spot,” Barak wrote.

—Staff writer Samuel P. Goldston can be reached at samuel.goldston@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Jasmine Palma can be reached at jasmine.palma@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @jasmine_palma_.