USU College of Science Welcomes Two New Associate Deans

Utah State University’s College of Science officially welcomes two faculty members to associate dean posts.

Brynja Kohler, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, is the college’s associate dean for undergraduate programs and services; and Susannah French, professor in the Department of Biology and the USU Ecology Center, is associate dean for faculty and research.

Effective Sept. 1, Kohler succeeds biology faculty member Greg Podgorski, who is retiring from Utah State following 35 years of distinguished service. French, who assumed her new role last spring while on sabbatical, succeeds Science Dean Michelle Baker, along with Mathematics and Statistics Professor Adele Cutler, who served as interim associate dean following Baker’s dean appointment in August 2022.

“We’re excited to have these outstanding educators, researchers and administrators step into these service roles,” Baker says. “Both bring enriching experience, wisdom and energy to pivotal positions within our college.”

Kohler, who joined USU in 2004, pursues innovative research in mathematical biology, collaborating with researchers from diverse disciplines, as well as research in mathematics and statistics education. She serves as director of USU Mathematics Education Programs and Outreach. Kohler is the recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation, as well as Math for America and the State of Utah Math and Science Partnership. She was named the College of Science’s 2020 Outstanding Graduate Mentor and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics’ 2019 Teacher of the Year. Kohler received the 2010 Lee Segel Prize from the Society for Mathematical Biology, and was named a Mathematics Association of America Project NExT Dolciani Fellow in 2004.

French, who joined Utah State in 2009 and served as associate department head in Biology, has built an internationally lauded research program in vertebrate ecology. Named the College of Science’s 2022 Faculty Researcher of the Year, she has been awarded National Science Foundation CAREER, RAPID and Integrative Organismal Systems grants, two Department of Defense/U.S. Fish and Wildlife grants, as well as numerous foundational, supplemental and internal seed grants. French has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and two book chapters.

Podgorski accepted the position of associate dean in 2019.

“Little did we know we would soon face a global pandemic, with new educational challenges for our students,” Baker says. “Greg handled these challenges superbly, always putting student needs first.”

She also credits Podgorski, who as associate dean also served as chair of the college’s Science Unwrapped public outreach program, with keeping the popular activity going amidst lockdown challenges.

“Science Unwrapped is all about hands-on learning and the pandemic brought in-person gatherings to an abrupt halt,” Baker says. “Yet, through innovative use of live-streaming of speakers and student-led activities on video, Greg kept this program thriving.”

In addition to teaching and outreach, Podgorski led an active research program, with a focus on cell signaling and development, along with computational biology, and published numerous peer-reviewed papers. He is also a renowned textbook author.

USU’s College of Science includes the academic departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Sciences, Geosciences, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics.