News from the Board of Governors: October 2024
Valery Kiryukhin named Donald H. Jacobs Chair in Applied Physics
Rutgers Distinguished Professor Valery Kiryukhin, an internationally recognized scholar in the field of applied physics, has been named the Donald H. Jacobs Chair in Applied Physics.
The Board of Governors approved the appointment at its meeting Thursday. Kiryukhin, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers-New Brunswick, is part of the Condensed Matter Experiment, a research group that studies the properties of matter.
He is a leader in the fields of X-ray scattering and neutron scattering – techniques used to reveal the locations of atoms, the distances between atoms and the organization of atoms within a material. Kiryukhin’s innovation in developing new techniques and instrumentation has opened entirely new fields of inquiry and research into the properties of matter.
His most recent research involves imaging the small-scale structure of magnetic materials, which is relevant to the development of spin-based computing. This innovative technology utilizes the magnetic properties of electrons to create fast and energy-efficient devices for modern applications, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, which is a network of connected devices that communicate with one another and exchange data.
“Energy efficiency is a crucial requirement for the advancement of modern computing. The Jacobs Chair award will enable my team to expand our research on functional materials into previously unexplored areas,” Kiryukhin said. “This research could potentially lead to the development of energy-efficient electronic devices that utilize magnetism instead of the currently employed electric charge."
Steven K. Libutti Named Inaugural William N. Hait Director at Rutgers Cancer Institute
The Board of Governors has appointed Steven K. Libutti as the inaugural William N. Hait Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute, a position named in honor of the institute’s founding director. The William “Bill” N. Hait Endowed Directorship at Rutgers Cancer Institute was established through the donation of $7.4 million raised to honor Hait’s pioneering contributions to cancer research and care.
Hait, who recently retired as the executive vice president, chief external innovation and medical officer at Johnson & Johnson, has held numerous global leadership positions where he focused his teams on addressing unmet medical needs through breakthrough science, transforming the lives of millions of patients worldwide. During his 14-year tenure as director of Rutgers Cancer Institute, he was instrumental in earning the center its prestigious National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation in 1997 – the first and only in New Jersey. Under his leadership, the center also achieved Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the NCI in 2002 in a record amount of time.
Libutti, who joined Rutgers Cancer Institute in 2017 as the center’s director, also serves as the senior vice president of oncology services for RWJBarnabas Health, and vice chancellor for cancer programs at Rutgers Health/Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.
Steven Brant Named Bishr and Souha Omary Family Endowed Legacy Professorship
Rutgers professor Steven Brant, a recognized world leader in the field of gastroenterology and internal medicine who was a key participant in identifying the first gene for Crohn’s disease, has been selected as the inaugural holder of the Bishr and Souha Omary Family Endowed Legacy Professorship.
The Board of Governors approved the professorship at its meeting Thursday. An endowed professorship is one of the highest honors a university can bestow and is reserved for an eminent scholar whose work and research significantly advances the discipline.
Brant, a professor at the Department of Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), received the professorship in recognition of his contribution in the field of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and understanding the disease’s genetic basis.
Over the course of his research, which spans nearly 30 years, Brant discovered a major gene, NHE3, for intestinal sodium absorption and involved in hypertension and diarrheal diseases. He was the first to show that IBD in African Americans has a genetic basis and he was the first to identify and characterize those genes that increase the risk of IBD in African Americans.
The Omary legacy professorship is a first for Rutgers. Endowed by Bishr Omary, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and research at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, and his wife, Souha, it’s the university’s first inaugural legacy professorship created to support biomedical research.
Ronald W. Giaconia Remembered for His Service to Rutgers
The Board of Governors honored Ronald W. Giaconia, an alumnus and member of Rutgers governing boards for more than 30 years, who died on Sept. 13, 2024, at age 88.
An graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Giaconia served the university for decades beginning as a charter trustee on the Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2006, then as a trustee governor on the Board of Governors from 2001 to 2007, and finally as a trustee emeritus. He served as chair and vice chair of the Board of Trustees and vice chair of the Board of Governors.
“Affectionately referred to as ‘The Chairman of the Board’ by those who knew him, Ron guided the university during times of great progress and strengthened Rutgers’ commitment to providing an affordable education, conducting world-changing research, and striving for the betterment of New Jersey,” the board noted in a resolution honoring Giaconia.
