Appointment of Christine A. Hrycyna as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

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The following is a message from Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla:

Following a comprehensive international search, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Christine A. Hrycyna as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (EVC-AA) at UC San Diego, effective January 1, 2027. Hrycyna is the current dean of the School of Physical Sciences at UC San Diego, where she has served since 2023, leading structural, financial and cultural transformation across the school. She is also a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics where she holds a Chancellor's Associates Chair. Her administrative career reflects nearly a decade of progressively broader senior academic leadership, combining deep operational experience with institution-level strategy and impact. I am delighted to welcome her to this key academic leadership position.

Hrycyna earned her bachelor's in chemistry from Middlebury College and her Ph.D. in biochemistry from UCLA, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship as a Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research Fellow at the NIH's National Cancer Institute.

Prior to joining UC San Diego, Hrycyna spent more than two decades on the faculty at Purdue University, culminating in six years as Head of the Department of Chemistry, where she led faculty affairs, budgeting, hiring and academic programs. She also served as associate department head, head of the Biochemistry Division within the Department of Chemistry, head of the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Program (PULSe) that spanned more than 30 departments, and served as a representative on the Purdue University Senate and its Educational Policy Committee.

An acclaimed biochemist with deep research and leadership experience, Hrycyna's research focuses on the biochemical basis of aging disorders and cancer at the molecular level and the development of new therapeutic strategies for more effective drug delivery to the brain. She is a prolific author of articles and book chapters and was named both a Faculty Scholar and a 150th Anniversary Professor at Purdue University. Deeply committed to undergraduate education, Hrycyna received the Charles B. Murphy Undergraduate Teaching Award at Purdue University, the university's highest teaching honor.

As Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Hrycyna will report directly to me as a member of my leadership Cabinet. She will be responsible for actively promoting the scholarly, educational and engagement mission of Academic Affairs units and overseeing campuswide support for Academic Personnel Services and Academic Senate coordination. The EVC-AA portfolio is nearly $1 billion, encompassing general campus academic divisions, schools, programs, centers and institutes; the undergraduate colleges; the University Library; and administrative support units.

Interim Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Robert Continetti will continue to serve in this capacity until Hrycyna assumes her new role in 2027.

I thank the members of the search committee for their many hours of service and for the contributions and insights that resulted in the appointment of an excellent new EVC-AA.

Please join me in congratulating Christine on her appointment to this consequential leadership role. We look forward to her continued contributions to our academic and research mission and our entire Triton community.

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor
Joan and Irwin Jacobs Chancellor's Endowed Chair