Appointment of Dr. Anthony Janetos as Director of the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Last spring, we launched a national-level search for a new Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The Pardee Center has, over the last decade, emerged as an international destination for public policy scholarship and interdisciplinary research, having developed a widely respected publications program, close ties with the United Nations, and a rich calendar of public programs and events. It was critical, therefore, that we find a scholar and leader with the credentials, energy and strategic vision necessary to head this important center and continue its upward trajectory.
Over the last year, a search committee chaired by Professor Bill Grimes reviewed 75 applications from candidates within the academic, policymaking and research communities for the position of Pardee Center Director. After narrowing this pool down to 10 candidates, the committee was able to identify two finalists. I am delighted to announce that after this rigorous and highly competitive process, Dr. Anthony Janetos will be joining Boston University as the next Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.
Dr. Janetos is Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute at the University of Maryland, where he has for the last six years overseen an interdisciplinary team of natural scientists, engineers and social scientists committed to understanding the problems of global climate change and their potential solutions. Dr. Janetos received his A.B. in Biology from Harvard and his Master’s and Ph.D. in Biology from Princeton. He has devoted his career to high-impact global change science and policy, earning international recognition for his scholarship and holding executive leadership positions over the last two decades at large institutions including the EPA, NASA and the Heinz Center for Science Economics and the Environment. Dr. Janetos has written and spoken widely on the need to understand the scientific, environmental, economic, and policy linkages among the major global environmental issues and served on several national and international study teams, including working as a co-chair of the U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. Through extensive conversations with both our committee and Dr. Janetos about his vision and ambitions for the Pardee Center, it became quickly clear that his passion and track record of high-quality research, exceptional teambuilding and intellectual leadership were an ideal match for our needs here at BU. Moreover, his research and policy interests closely aligned with the Pardee Center’s mission of supporting “interdisciplinary, policy-relevant, and future-oriented research that contributes to long-term improvements in the human condition.”
Dr. Janetos’s official start date at Boston University will be July 1, 2013. I hope that you will join me in formally welcoming him to the BU community in the months ahead. In the interim, we are grateful that Professor Jim McCann, who has served as Acting Director of the Pardee Center since October 2011, will continue in that role through June 30. Professor McCann will work closely with Dr. Janetos during the transition and my office will provide full support to ensure a smooth transition in leadership.
At a time of intense debate over global stability and leadership, BU has an extraordinary opportunity in the years ahead to produce foundational new scholarship and research in a host of emerging areas. I look forward to following the Pardee Center’s success under Dr. Janetos’s direction and want to express my gratitude to the members of the Pardee Center Director Search Committee for the considerable time, thought and discussion they devoted over the last year to this important selection process.