Robert K. McMahan Jr., the North Carolina governor’s senior adviser for science and technology, and executive director of the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology, will be leaving those posts to become dean of Western Carolina University’s Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology.

McMahan’s appointment was announced Friday, Jan. 25, by WCU Provost Kyle Carter. McMahan (pictured) will begin his duties at WCU prior to April 1, Carter said.

In addition to advising the governor, in his current role McMahan provides counsel on science and technology issues for the state secretary of commerce, General Assembly and Economic Development Board. He advises state government on science, technology, university research capacity and structure, entrepreneurship and technology-based economic development while serving as a primary liaison on those issues to the University of North Carolina and state community college systems, N.C. Small Business and Technology Development Center, N.C. Biotechnology Center, and entrepreneurial associations.

McMahan also has been responsible for developing legislation related to defining statewide research capacity and structure, as well as creating a number of nationally recognized science- and technology-related economic development programs in North Carolina.
In addition, he holds the position of research professor of physics and astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he teaches and conducts research in cosmology, and he serves as an adjunct professor in the department of textile and apparel technology and management in North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles.

“I am thrilled to announce Bob McMahan as the dean of the Kimmel School,” Carter said. “Bob’s state and national presence will have an immediate impact on the school’s programs and initiatives. His academic, governmental and entrepreneurial background is the perfect mix for the Kimmel School’s future. I look forward to working with Bob, not only because of the skills he brings, but also because of his personal style.”

Prior to beginning work with the state as adviser and head of the state Board of Science and Technology in 2003, McMahan was a senior technology strategist and venture capitalist for In-Q-Tel, a private venture capital organization funded by the CIA, where he was responsible for developing a technology investment strategy for the intelligence community. Before joining In-Q-Tel, he served as executive vice president of engineering and research and development for GretagMacbeth, where he was responsible for the company’s worldwide research, engineering and product development activities.

McMahan became affiliated with GretagMacbeth after that company’s 2000 acquisition of McMahan Research Laboratories, an advanced technologies company that he founded in Cambridge, Mass., and later expanded to North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. He also has been involved in the creation of a number of technology companies using university-based technology.

McMahan earned bachelor’s degrees in physics and the history of art from Duke University in 1982, a doctoral degree in physics from Dartmouth College in 1986, and completed postdoctoral studies at the Harvard University/Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Center for Astrophysics in 1989. McMahan participated in research at the center that led to the discovery of the “bubble” structure of the universe and the “Great Wall,” the largest known structure in the universe, both of which are now foundational elements of modern dark matter theory.

“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead the Kimmel School, and I am looking forward to working with the administration, as well as faculty, staff and students from across the university,” McMahan said.

“This is a remarkable institution with a bright future. What is happening at Western today embodies some of the best thinking in the nation on how to focus a university on both academic excellence and meaningful and effective regional economic engagement,” he said.

“I have spent my career at the intersection of academia and business, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the opportunity to be part of a school that is charged with creating significant and dynamic educational opportunities for its students – our next generation of innovators – while at the same time forging flexible and diverse partnerships with businesses and organizations across the region to help build and shape the economy of Western North Carolina,” McMahan said.

WCU’s Kimmel School offers bachelor’s degree programs in construction management, engineering technology, electrical and computer engineering technology, and electrical engineering (a joint program with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte), and master’s degree programs in technology and construction management.

The school’s facilities include 17 laboratories and the Center for Rapid Product Realization, which provides services to the region in the areas of optoelectronic systems, rapid prototyping and design, adaptive technologies and intelligent sensor systems.

The Kimmel School is named in honor of Asheville businessman Joe W. Kimmel in recognition of a $6.92 million pledge of support from his business, Kimmel & Associates, a leading construction industry executive search firm.

For more information about WCU’s Kimmel School, call (828) 227-2159 or e-mail patsmith@email.wcu.edu.

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Last modified: Friday, Jan. 25, 2008