Dr. Inga H. Musselman

The chair was endowed by Mrs. Eugene McDermott specifically for the vice president and provost (chief academic officer) of the University. Musselman was appointed to the chair in 2017.

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“As the University evolves to become a more mature research university, so will the role of the provost. It is the responsibility of the president and the provost to provide vision and leadership and to take action to move UT Dallas into the future, providing even greater opportunities for student growth and achievement.”

Dr. Inga Musselman was named provost and vice president for academic affairs in 2017.

In this position, she oversees curricula, instruction and research activities at UT Dallas. The Office of the Provost also oversees faculty hiring, the process of faculty review, promotion and tenure, and budget priorities and allocations for the individual schools. Musselman also is the primary contact with The University of Texas System for academic affairs.

An analytical chemist, Musselman joined the UT Dallas faculty as an assistant professor in 1992, just two years after the first freshman class was admitted. As the University grew, she advanced through the academic ranks, holding leadership roles in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and attaining the title of professor. She was appointed associate provost for faculty affairs in 2008 and senior vice provost in 2014.

Her distinguished research program — which includes collaborations with several faculty members — focuses on the development and application of microscopy methods for the study of materials structure in the areas of gas separations, fuel cells and bionanotechnology.

Her research has been funded by industry, government and philanthropic sources, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, Semiconductor Research Corp. and the Robert A. Welch Foundation.

Musselman earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Gettysburg College, which named her a distinguished alumna in 2017.

She has been awarded five patents and has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and refereed conference proceedings, and four chapters in edited volumes. She also has been the primary research supervisor of numerous doctoral, master’s and baccalaureate degree students, as well as high school summer students.

“As a result of my long tenure at UT Dallas, I have developed a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of our history and culture, as well as of the faculty and student body,” Musselman said. “At UT Dallas, we are energetic and creative with a ‘can-do’ attitude. Both individually and collectively, we effect change by being flexible and nimble, and, at the same time, bold.”