Starting July 1, Robinson will fill the role for one year while a national search is conducted for the dean’s position. Robinson is taking the place of Feng Sheng Hu, the current Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, who is leaving to become dean of Arts & Sciences at Washington University.

Robinson is a world-renowned scholar and teacher who brings more than three decades of experience as a faculty member, academic leader, and university administrator at Illinois. He is a Swanlund Chair and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the recipient of the prestigious Wolf Prize in Agriculture.

"I am honored to be chosen to be interim dean,” Robinson said. “I know that by working with our amazing faculty, staff, and students we will all be able to creatively rise to the unprecedented challenges of the year and together move forward to reach new heights in education, research, scholarship, and public engagement."