CCNY's new Martin and Michele Cohen Dean of Science is Dr. Stephen O'Brien, the renowned materials scientist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Dr. Stephen O'Brien, a noted materials scientist who heads the O'Brien Research Group, is the new Martin and Michele Cohen Dean of Science at The City College of New York. His appointment follows a nation-wide search. A Fellow of Britain’s Royal Society of Chemistry, he had served as Interim Dean since July 2025.
O’Brien joined CCNY as an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry (now Chemistry & Biochemistry) in 2009. He was department chair from 2020 to 2025, becoming the Louis J. Curtman Chair in 2023. He stepped down from the chairmanship last summer to become the Interim Dean of Science.
As a materials scientist, O’Brien works at the intersection of nanotechnology, materials chemistry, and applied physics, with a focus on functional nanomaterials for energy and electronic applications. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Education, and the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority, among other entities.
In addition to an extensive teaching portfolio at The City College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, O’Brien has supervised twelve Ph.D. and two M.S. students to completion. He continues to mentor doctoral and postdoctoral researchers.
“Dean O’Brien’s long history as a faculty member, a Department Chair and, finally, Interim Dean will serve him well as we work to rebuild faculty numbers across the College, including the Division of Science,” said CCNY Provost Tony Liss, adding, “and in so doing, build the Division around its substantial strengths and the new opportunities that will define its future as the premier science program of the University.”
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Jay Mwamba
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