Arash Mafi

Arash Mafi, Ph.D., was named University of Kansas Chief Academic Officer, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor in March 2026. Provost Mafi, a professor with joint appointments in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has more than a decade of academic leadership experience at two flagship public R1 universities. He previously served as KU’s inaugural David B. Pittaway Executive Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Prior to arriving at KU in 2023, he held leadership roles at the University of New Mexico, including time as Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Director of the Center for High Technology Materials, where he led large interdisciplinary research enterprises and built partnerships across national laboratories, industry, and government.

A professor with joint appointments in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Dr. Mafi is a Fellow of both Optica and SPIE and a Senior Member of IEEE. His industry experience includes Senior Research Scientist at Corning Incorporated. He brings a cross-disciplinary perspective shaped by early-career experience in industrial R&D. 

Dr. Mafi approaches academic leadership with humility, care for people, and a long view toward building institutions that endure. His leadership is focused toward advancing student success and access, as well as sustained investment in faculty and staff through opportunities for research expansion, professional development and faculty engagement. He champions evidence-informed, mission-driven decision-making with a strong commitment to academic priorities.