Dean of Engineering Search

Dear Cooper Union Students, Faculty and Staff, 

I am pleased to share that we have officially initiated the search for the next Dean of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering. 

Through this process, we are seeking a leader who can build on the incredible momentum established for the school by Dean Barry Shoop in the areas of educational pedagogy and curriculum development; innovative, cross-disciplinary learning; and student success. For your reference, please find the job description here. 

Leading our search committee is Dr. Robert Topper, professor and chair of the chemistry department. The committee also includes Ben Davis, professor and Eleanor and Stanley Ensminger Chair of chemical engineering; Sam Keene, professor and chair of computer science; Ja-beom Koo, associate professor, electrical engineering; Dirk Luchtenburg, associate professor, mechanical engineering; Stan Mintchev, professor, mathematics; Cosmas Tzavelis, professor and George Fox Chair of civil engineering; and Phil Yecko, professor and chair of physics. In addition, we’ve engaged Chuck O’Boyle and his firm C.V. O’Boyle as our search consultant. Chuck brings deep experience and counsel in conducting comprehensive, national searches for colleges and universities seeking new senior leadership. 

The aim for this process is to identify our next dean by the end of the spring semester so that they can officially join The Cooper Union this summer. If you have a candidate you wish to recommend for this position, please forward the person’s name, current title and institutional affiliation, and contact information to Chuck O’Boyle at chuck@cvoboyle.com. The deadline to receive applications is December 1, 2026. 

Our deepest thanks go to Dr. Topper and the search committee for their work on this important process, and to Dean Shoop for his continued leadership. 

We will continue to share updates over the course of the search. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Steve McLaughlin

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.