New Dean, Purdue Polytechnic Institute
To: Executive Vice Presidents, Chancellors, Vice Presidents, Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts, Deans, Directors, and Heads of Schools, Divisions, Departments and Offices
From: Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity
Date: January 12, 2022
Re: New Dean, Purdue Polytechnic Institute
I am pleased to inform you that Daniel Castro-Lacouture will be returning to Purdue to become dean of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, effective June 1. Currently, Daniel is professor of building construction and executive director of the professional master’s program in occupational safety and health, College of Design, at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Daniel was assistant professor of civil engineering at Ohio University before joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 2006, where he was promoted to full professor in 2015. He served as chair of the School of Building Construction at Georgia Tech for more than 11 years.
As chair, Daniel oversaw considerable growth in the number and diversity of tenure-track faculty and the creation of six new academic programs, including the professional online master’s in occupational safety and health, the master of real estate development, and the PhD with a major in building construction. He also led development efforts that resulted in the renovation and naming of the school building, doubling and upgrading the collaborative workplace area, and guided the school’s strategic planning process.
Daniel serves on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction and the International Green Builder Certification Board. He has applied his expertise in project engineering and management in the public and private sectors, including with multinational firms.
Daniel earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Purdue in 2003, and served as a teaching assistant in the School of Civil Engineering and a staff resident at Hillenbrand Hall. Prior to his studies at Purdue, Daniel received a BSc in Civil Engineering from Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia, and an MSc in Construction Management from the University of Reading in the UK. Earlier in his career, he spent four years in industry as a project engineer.
I want to acknowledge Interim Dean Carrie Berger and offer my deepest thanks for her outstanding job moving the college forward during this time of transition. Interim Dean Berger will continue to serve in her role until May 31.
I also want to thank all of the members of the search advisory committee, chaired by Karen Plaut, dean of the College of Agriculture, for their excellent work.
Please join me in welcoming Daniel Castro-Lacouture back to the Boilermaker family!