Dr. Varkki Pallathucheril, Professor of Urban Planning at American University of Sharjah (AUS), has been appointed Dean of the university's College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD). This was announced earlier today December 15, by Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS.

"Dr. Pallathucheril's appointment was unanimously recommended by the Academic Affairs and Research Committee of the AUS Board of Trustees and endorsed by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, UAE Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of American University of Sharjah," said Dr. Kjerfve.

Dr. Pallathucheril, who had been serving as the Interim Dean of CAAD, had done a great job and was selected to serve as dean from a strong pool of candidates.

Dr. Pallathucheril holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University (1992), a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University (1988), and a Bachelor of Architecture (Honors) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (1981). He came to AUS after serving as a tenured faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning from 1992 to 2008. Leaves from the University of Illinois brought him as a Visiting Professor of Architecture to Manipal Institute of Technology in India (1996; where he had been a Lecturer in Architecture 1984-1986), and to American University of Sharjah (2007).

Dr. Pallathucheril has served as a Professor in the College of Architecture, Art and Design since 2009. He returned to the University of Illinois as a Visiting Professor from June 2013-2014 while on sabbatical leave from AUS.