North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has named Dr. Mohammad Ahmed dean, College of Health and Sciences, effective July 1, 2022.
As the inaugural dean of the newly reorganized college, Ahmed will be charged with establishing an inclusive and high performing multidisciplinary academic culture among the health and science faculty. Well-known at NCCU, Ahmed is a professor of physics and mathematics and currently serves as the interim associate dean for the College of Health and Sciences at NCCU. Ahmed will report to provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, Dr. David H. Jackson, Jr.
Ahmed will serve as the unit’s chief academic officer and establish the strategic vision and goals of the college, providing administrative oversight for all aspects of academic life within the college, including fiscal management, personnel professional development, academic programs, research enterprises and student enrollment. He will also direct external initiatives that include community outreach and development and fundraising.
Ahmed earned a bachelor of science degree in Physics and a Ph.D. in Physics, both from the University of Houston. During his graduate work, Ahmed performed research at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in nuclear physics. Subsequently, Ahmed joined the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) on the campus of Duke University as a research scientist and continued as an assistant research professor of physics at Duke University until his arrival at NCCU in 2011.
Ahmed’s research interests include experimental nuclear physics with focus on low-energy Quantum Chromodynamics. His scholarly activity also includes topics in undergraduate education, particularly in STEM curriculum development. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and reviews, delivered more than 30 invited talks and mentored more than 30 students and post-docs. Ahmed has received grants totaling more than $3 million as a principal investigator from Department of Energy, National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Homeland Security during his time at NCCU.
Ahmed co-chairs the Task Force on Research at NCCU and is also a co-author of the NCCU General Education Curriculum Revision Task Force Report. In addition, he has served on the faculty senate, is a member of the University Athletics Council, and was a member of the University Parking Committee. He also serves as the Associate Director of Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL), a consortium of Duke University, NCCU, NC State University and UNC Chapel Hill for experimental nuclear physics. Dr. Ahmed is also a fellow of Center for Advancement of STEM Leadership, a National Science Foundation funded project to bring leadership on HBCU campuses. He is a member of the American Physical Society (APS) with memberships in Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) and Topical Group on Few-Body Physics. He has served as the chair of the Southeastern Section of the APS (SESAPS). Currently, he serves as the chair of the North Carolina Science Fair Foundation Board of Directors.
Ahmed lives in Durham, NC with his wife, who graduated from NCCU and is part of the Eagle family and two sons, one of whom is a senior at NCCU. He is also a ceramic artist and artisan soap maker.
Please congratulate Dr. Mohammad Ahmed on his new role!
