Dean's Message

Dean Michael Kaufman photo I want to welcome you to the San Jose State University College of Science. After twenty years as a faculty member in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, it is an honor for me to be leading the extraordinary faculty, staff and students who make up the college and its constituent departments, programs and research institutes.

Take a walk through any of our facilities, and you will find incredible things going on. Our faculty and students work together to create knowledge at the frontiers of their fields and at the interfaces between fields. Their research programs cover issues of great importance to modern society, including such diverse topics as:

  • Climate change and its influence on Urban Heat Islands
  • Development of chemical defenses against human pathogens
  • Mathematical behavior of social/financial systems
  • Construction of better cybersecurity defenses
  • Behavior of nanomaterials for Silicon Valley applications
  • Development of neurological disorders
  • Teaching techniques that best help students learn scientific topics such as physics, chemistry and biology
  • Making aquaculture sustainable
  • Invention of medical diagnostic devices for use in the developing world.

Of course, we also pursue knowledge for its own sake, so you will also find groups that study the properties of prime numbers, dark matter and galaxy formation, the history of extinctions on Earth, and the meaning of time. Government agencies and foundations such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, The State of California, Research Corporation, and others fund our research. We are committed broadly to the scientific enterprise, one of the greatest ongoing human achievements, while ensuring that all of our students, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation have the opportunity to join the scientific field of their choice.

The research we undertake greatly informs our teaching and ensures that students are up-to-date in the latest knowledge and techniques within their fields of study. When they complete a program of study from the College of Science, students will be ready to take the next steps in their careers, whether in industry research labs, K-12 classrooms, or advanced graduate programs. I encourage you to browse our department web pages and learn about the wide range of programs and research opportunities.

We are extremely excited about the construction of our new Interdisciplinary Science Building (ISB), scheduled to open in 2023. You can learn more about plans for the ISB and its role as an anchor for a four-building Science and Innovation complex.

I believe in communicating all of the exciting events, opportunities, and results coming out of the College of Science. You can follow me on Facebook or Twitter, or register to be added to our college mailing list. I look forward to hearing from you.

Michael J. Kaufman
Dean
San José State University College of Science