On Monday, April 15, Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang announced Professor of Biomedical Engineering Barclay Morrison as the new Vice Dean of Academic Programs.

On Monday, April 15, Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang announced Professor of Biomedical Engineering Barclay Morrison as the new Vice Dean of Academic Programs.

In an email sent on Monday, April 15 at 5:07 pm, Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang announced that Biomedical Engineering Professor Barclay Morrison would be taking on the role of Vice Dean of Academic Programs and expanding his role to include the programming for both undergraduate and graduate students at Columbia Engineering. Admissions and online education programs will not be included in this role’s duties. 

Professor Morrison has been a member of the Columbia University faculty since 2003 and has received numerous awards such as the Rickard Skalak Best Paper Award for a publication in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering and the John Paul Stapp Award for the best paper in the Stapp Car Crash Journal. He has also been the recipient of awards from Columbia such as the Kim Award for Student-Faculty Involvement and the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates.

Morrison specifically works in the field of biomechanics of the brain structure and concussions and he received a BS in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a MSE and PhD in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Since 2014, Professor Morrison has been the Vice Dean of Undergraduate Programs at Columbia Engineering and is now expanding the role to include graduate programming. He was previously elected as vice president of the International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury and still holds the position.

Professor Morrison will begin his work on July 1. Dean Chang ended his email by congratulating Morrison on his newly expanded role.

Email sent from Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang to Columbia students at 5:07 pm on Monday, April 15:

Dear Students,  

I am thrilled to announce that Professor of Biomedical Engineering Barclay Morrison has agreed to take on the role of Vice Dean of Academic Programs starting July 1, 2024, an expansion of his current responsibilities that will involve overseeing academic programs (not including admissions or online education) for both undergraduate and graduate students. We are grateful to Barclay for taking on this expanded role and helping to enhance the student experience for our community. 

Professor Morrison is an expert in the study of the biomechanics of brain injuries, particularly from accidents, falls, and sport-related concussions. This work aids in developing better safety systems to prevent injury and increased understanding of the pathobiology to allow for better treatment options. His research explores the specific cellular, molecular, and metabolic effects of injury on brain cells in response to precisely controlled biomechanical stimuli. 

Professor Morrison has been teaching at Columbia Engineering since 2003 and served as vice dean of undergraduate programs since 2014. In 2006, he won the Kim Award for Student-Faculty Involvement from Columbia Engineering and in 2019 was awarded the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates. In 2018, he was elected vice president of the International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury, a position that he still holds today, after having served as vice president from 2015-2018.. He received a BS in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a MSE and PhD in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Please join me in congratulating Professor Morrison on his expanded role!

Sincerely, 

Shih-Fu Chang

Dean, Columbia Engineering

Mudd via Columbia Data Science Institute