Adam F Falk

Adam F. Falk became James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences on Feb. 1, 2006. He had served in the position on an interim basis since January 2005.

Under his leadership, Falk said, the Krieger School's goal remains what it has always been: "To be and remain the best small, research-intensive school of arts and sciences in the country; faculty member for faculty member and student for student, to be second to no other."

Falk, a member of the Johns Hopkins physics faculty since 1994, was promoted to associate professor after only three years at Johns Hopkins and to full professor just three years later, in 2000. In 2002, he was appointed the Krieger School's vice dean of faculty, a title that was changed to dean of faculty in 2004. He was instrumental in those positions in the formulation of the school's strategic plan and in a comprehensive reform of appointment, promotion and tenure policies in the Krieger School.

Falk is a high-energy physicist whose research focuses on elementary particle physics and quantum field theory, particularly the interactions and decay of heavy quarks. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a winner of the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award. Early in his career, he won prestigious national young investigator awards from both the National Science Foundation and the Energy Department.

He graduated with highest distinction from the University of North Carolina in 1987 and earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1991, winning six awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching while a graduate student. He held post-doctoral appointments at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and the University of California, San Diego, before coming to Johns Hopkins.

[Updated October 2007]