After a national search, John Papapolymerou has been recommended as dean of the College of Engineering at Michigan State University, effective June 1, 2026. He will serve as dean designee prior to the June 12 meeting of the MSU Board of Trustees. Papapolymerou has served as interim dean since Oct. 1, 2024.
“Dr. Papapolymerou has a demonstrated track record of launching large-scale initiatives, fundraising for engineering and digital innovation, and engaging with internal and external groups to support the success and development of students, faculty and staff in the College of Engineering,” said MSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Laura Lee McIntyre. “He cares deeply about student success and creating programs, curricula and experiences that will help students gain valuable knowledge and skills to be successful in their careers.”
Papapolymerou is an MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the MSU Space Electronics Initiative, a college collaboration with MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. Prior to serving as interim dean, he served as chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for nine years.
Since stepping into the interim dean role, Papapolymerou has collaborated on numerous outreach initiatives. This includes securing more than $110 million in philanthropic support, with $90 million of that total for the Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation. He also met with alumni and corporations around the world and served as a delegate on investment missions to strengthen business opportunities for Michigan’s growth industries.
He supported the launch of Technology Engineering, the college’s newest academic degree program designed in collaboration with industry, and he collaborated with faculty and administrative leadership to support ongoing modernization of the college’s curriculum, including a new artificial intelligence minor and the integration of AI into early engineering courses.
With student success as a priority, he expanded resources to enhance digital accessibility compliance efforts and fund the college’s Engineering and Science Success Academy, or ESSA, an academically intensive program designed to acclimate incoming first-year engineering students to a challenging postsecondary environment. Papapolymerou also worked with committees on national searches to select chairs for the college’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“I am honored to be selected as the college’s next dean and look forward to sustaining the momentum we’ve established,” said Papapolymerou. “Working alongside students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and collaborators to build a world-class environment where engineering talent thrives is truly a privilege. There is tremendous opportunity ahead for Spartan Engineering.”
A Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Papapolymerou’s research has been supported by numerous federal and industry sponsors. His research interests are in RF/microwave/mm-wave/THz circuits, antennas, and packaging for wireless communication systems, sensors and radars.
He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan and his bachelor’s degree from the National Technical University of Athens in Greece.
