Department of Physics and Astronomy names Greg Taylor as chair following Rich Rand's retirement

After three decades of service to The University of New Mexico, Professor Richard Rand is retiring from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, concluding a distinguished career that included more than seven years as department chair.

Beginning July 1, Distinguished Professor Greg Taylor will assume the role of chair, bringing more than two decades of experience as a faculty member, researcher and academic leader within the department.

During his tenure as chair, Rand guided the department through significant periods of growth and challenge. He oversaw the department's move into the Physics, Astronomy and Interdisciplinary Science (PAIS) building, led faculty and staff through the COVID-19 pandemic, navigated staffing shortages, secured the department's first endowed chair and initiated efforts to build a new campus observatory.

"It's been a time of great challenges and great successes," Rand said. "The Department of Physics & Astronomy is simply extraordinary, and I can't say enough about the exceptional research carried out here and the dedication of the faculty and our outstanding staff to its mission."

"It's also been so rewarding to see our students succeed and go on to all kinds of interesting STEM-related careers," he added. "And we are poised to achieve much more so I think there should be exciting times ahead for physics and astronomy at UNM."

An internationally recognized astrophysicist, Rand's research has focused on gaseous galactic halos, spiral structure, interstellar gas and star formation, the magnetic field of the Milky Way, and collisional ring galaxies using radio, millimeter-wave, optical and infrared telescopes.

College of Arts & Sciences Dean Jennifer Malat praised both Rand's service and Taylor's appointment.

"Physics & Astronomy is a university leader in important science and research, and I'm excited that Distinguished Professor Greg Taylor will be the department's next chair," Malat said. "Greg is the director of the Center for Astrophysical Research and Technologies (CART), an accomplished radio astronomer, and has been a UNM faculty member for more than 20 years. The College and I are grateful to Rich Rand for his years of service to the department as chair and faculty and wish him a happy retirement."

Taylor joined UNM in 2005 and currently serves as director of the Center for Astrophysical Research and Technologies and founding director of the Long Wavelength Array. Prior to joining UNM, he spent more than a decade on the scientific staff at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Socorro.

His research interests span instrumentation, meteors, space weather, pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, active galaxies and their environments. Throughout his career, Taylor has advised 14 doctoral students and authored or co-authored more than 330 peer-reviewed publications.

"UNM and the Physics and Astronomy Department have been very good to me, providing a supportive environment where I could develop the Long Wavelength Array telescope and work with students both inside and outside the classroom," Taylor said. "Being named chair provides me with an opportunity to provide support in turn to all the faculty and staff that have been so helpful to me."

Taylor said he is looking forward to helping the department navigate a rapidly changing higher education landscape while continuing to strengthen its research and teaching missions.

"I also feel that these are challenging times for our department, for UNM and for higher education in general," he said. "I hope that my experience and connections with the national laboratories and elsewhere can help us weather the current storm."

Among his priorities as chair will be addressing ongoing space challenges created by the closure of portions of Regener Hall and advancing efforts to replace the department's campus observatory, which has been impacted by increasing light pollution from surrounding development.

Taylor also reflected on Rand's impact on the department and on his own career.

"Rich was my informal mentor, especially during the first several years as I was learning my way around the classroom and at UNM in general," Taylor said. "As chair, we all appreciated his open-door policy, his steady guidance and his unfailing wit."

For the past several months, Rand and Taylor have met regularly to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

"My thanks to Dean Malat for the appointment," Taylor said. "I look forward to supporting our faculty, staff and students as we continue to build on the department's strengths and pursue new opportunities in research and education."