Jennifer Jackson, the William E. Leonhard Professor of Mineral Physics, has been appointed as a vice provost at Caltech. She will take over from Kaushik Bhattacharya, the Howell N. Tyson, Sr., Professor of Mechanics and Materials Science, who has served in this position since 2016. Jackson will manage sponsored research policies and practices, ethical research conduct, conflicts of interest and commitment, corporate research partnerships, academic computing resources, and the Caltech Library, among various other duties.
“I am assuming this position at a crucial moment for higher education, particularly for research universities, where we bear the responsibility of effectively conveying the significance of university-led research and the necessity of preserving intellectual autonomy in such endeavors,” Jackson states. “In my capacity as vice provost, I will assist the Institute in expanding upon its existing research capabilities and its transformative ability to innovate and discover.”
Jackson obtained her PhD at the University of Illinois in 2005 before joining Caltech, where she became an assistant professor in 2007, a professor in 2012, and a Leonhard Professor in 2020. Her research concentrates on materials found within deep Earth and other planetary interiors. She investigates the function of minerals in shaping processes inside the Earth, from the deepest regions of the metallic core to volcanic systems at the surface.
In her research, Jackson utilizes materials under extreme conditions through diamond-anvil pressure apparatus, infrared lasers, and synchrotron-based X-ray scattering methods. Recently, she has been creating novel geophysical techniques that incorporate infrasound detection of seismic activity from aerial platforms to explore the interiors of planetary bodies like Venus.
“Since becoming a part of the Caltech faculty in 2007, Jennifer has directed a dynamic research program aimed at understanding the behavior of minerals under extreme conditions typical of planetary interiors, a work that has earned her recognition through election to fellowship in the Mineralogical Society of America,” remarks Caltech Provost David Tirrell.
Tirrell conveyed his appreciation to Bhattacharya, who will continue at Caltech as Tyson professor, for “collaboration and service,” noting, “Kaushik has performed exceptionally as Vice Provost for the last nine years. … Kaushik has been instrumental in establishing the Schmidt Academy for Software Engineering, Caltech’s high-performance computing cluster and software accelerator, the Caltech-AWS Center for Quantum Computing, the Caltech Innovation Center, the Richard Merkin Center for Pure and Applied Mathematics, along with its associated renovation of the eighth floor of Caltech Hall and the relocation of the American Institute of Mathematics to Pasadena, our growing collaboration with the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Caltech Postdoctoral Scholars Office.”
Jackson mentions that she is particularly eager to support Caltech’s libraries, guaranteeing that the community retains access to the latest scientific literature, as well as to protect the Institute’s historic archives. Furthermore, she expresses that her new position offers chances to engage with individuals from all sections of Caltech.
“This role will enable me to interact with a significantly larger number of faculty across campus and learn about their research and the challenges they encounter,” she states. “Naturally, I foresee this having a very beneficial influence on my own research program. Indeed, when scientists collaborate, especially here at Caltech, new ideas emerge. That’s the unpredictable essence of research, and Caltech is an extraordinarily special and unique place.”