Seaside, Calif., April 2, 2020 - After completing a national search, Cal State Monterey Bay announced today that Katherine Kantardjieff, Ph.D. is the next Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, beginning July 1, 2020.

“Her extensive experience and accomplishments as a faculty member and administrator make her an excellent choice as the chief academic officer of our university,” commented Eduardo Ochoa, President of CSUMB. “We welcome Dr. Kantardjieff to CSUMB and look forward to introducing her to the campus community in the coming academic year.”

On the eve of joining CSUMB, Dr. Kantardjieff remarked: “As a native Californian, a beneficiary of the state’s higher education ecosystem, and a member of the CSU system for 31 years, I have watched CSUMB evolve to become a well-respected regional comprehensive university that serves a highly ethnically diverse region and state and transforms the lives of its students with its distinctive educational model.”

Dr. Kantardjieff is currently the founding Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University, San Marcos. She also served as the Chair of the Department of Chemistry in the College of Science at California State, Polytechnic University, Pomona. She achieved the rank of full Professor during her tenure in the Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at California State University, Fullerton.

She holds a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles, where she also completed Post-Doctoral research in Crystallography. Having received numerous awards and honors for her service to teaching, leadership, and scholarly achievements, Dr. Kantardjieff joins the CSUMB Academic Affairs division as a highly recognized academic.