Staci Simonich has been appointed the dean of the Oregon State University (OSU) College of Agricultural Sciences and director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, according to a release from the university.

Simonich has more than 20 years of experience with the university, starting as an assistant professor in 2001. She has been an interim dean since March 1 and recently served as executive associate dean for two years. Additionally, Simonich was the associate vice president for OSU research operations and integrity between 2018 and 2020. In 2017, she was the associate dean for academic and student affairs for the College of Science. Before teaching, she worked for Procter & Gamble for six years.

“The College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon’s farmers, ranchers and stakeholders, and our state, nation and world will be very well served by Staci as dean,” said Edward Feser, OSU’s provost and executive vice president. “Staci has been instrumental in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the college. She has been tireless in cultivating faculty, staff, and stakeholder relationships across the state; visiting and engaging with all of OSU’s experiment stations and stakeholders, and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion goals within the college.”

With more 120 peer reviewed publications, Simonich’s research focuses on understanding the fate, chemistry and transport of pesticides and other semi-volatile organic compounds, as well as human and environmental exposure to these pollutants. Her research has been published in Science, Nature, Environmental Health Perspectives, Environmental Science & Technology and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Simonich earned a doctorate in chemistry from Indiana University, a bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and a master of business administration degree from Oregon State University.