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Active: 1994-2002

Dr. Robert W. Conn, or Bob Conn as he is widely known, officially came to �鶹��ý on January 1, 1994. But his transition from UCLA had been in the works well before then, beginning with an unusual recruitment by Tom Dillon, a Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in charge managing the US effort in the international ITER fusion project. That meeting was followed by meetings in late 1992 with then �鶹��ý Chancellor Richard Atkinson, and the conversations included Conn bringing his large fusion energy research program to �鶹��ý and the possibility of a significant expansion of the then Division of Engineering. This combination solidified Dr. Conn’s interest to move from UCLA to UCSD. At the time there were just three departments in the Division of Engineering with many traditional departmental disciplines housed under three massive roofs. Talk of turning engineering into a School of Engineering was in the air and this reflected the national prominence of the faculty. Dr. Conn relished the challenge of holding the Deanship of a newly founded school, and engineering indeed became a School of Engineering on his arrival January 1, 1994.  

Prior to Dr. Conn’s time at UCSD, the engineering school had many prominent faculty members, especially those who were members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Yet engineering at UCSD was not nationally recognized. Indeed, it ranked 44 in US News and World report the year before Dr. Conn arrived. A big job was ahead. He believed in the importance of faculty hiring and how it contributed to the school. In his opinion, leading a university or school is to recognize that the quality of the faculty is everything, perhaps a bold statement, but it has always been his view that at a research university, it is the quality of the faculty that creates the reputation. And it is the reputation that in turn attracts wonderful students and ensures sustained greatness over time. Everything follows from a faculty of extraordinary people. When asked what advice he would offer to current faculty members, he responded, “Be as good as you can be, push forward, and take research and students seriously.”

As the inaugural Dean of the School of Engineering, he was instrumental in increasing the visibility of the school and growing the numbers of outstanding faculty, endowed chairs, research expenditures, an impressive student base, and a vision for success and national ranking. He appointed Prof. Dave Miller, professor of chemical engineering in the AMES department as Associate Dean of the School, the first-ever Associate Dean on the general campus. Dr. Conn was also instrumental in the formation of several research centers, including the �鶹��ý Center for Wireless Communications, the �鶹��ý Division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (now the Qualcomm Institute), the von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism (now the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur) and the Whitaker Center for Biomedical Engineering, in partnership with the School of Medicine. He worked with the Bioengineering Department to build Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall, funded by grants from two foundations and making it the first privately funded academic building on the general campus. More on the history of the school and Dr. Conn’s contributions are told in his history of his years here - “From a Good Base to a Better Place.”

Nearly three decades later and his contributions are still celebrated. Dr. Conn led the school through a period of rapid growth. He understood that to be successful and create impact, you must focus on things that have a long future. He understood the importance of a relationship with industry, partnerships with external entities, philanthropy, and recognizing the quality of research and faculty. During his tenure at UCSD, the school of engineering was renamed the Irwin and Joan Jacobs School of Engineering. Working with the Jacobs Family on that endowment gift to name the school is Dr. Conn’s most memorable experience while at �鶹��ý. And the year after Dr. Conn stepped down as dean in 2002, the Jacobs School was ranked 11 in US News and World report, the fastest rise in rankings ever achieved.

Dr. Conn attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, graduating with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering with minors in physics and mathematics. He continued his graduate studies and research at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, where he received an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering (1965) and a Ph.D. degree in engineering science (1968). He is a leading researcher in plasma physics, fusion energy, energy policy and materials science. Dr. Conn pioneered the design of fusion power systems, identifying the major physics and engineering challenges facing the development of practical fusion energy for which he was awarded the Ernest O. Lawrence Memorial Award in 1984. He co-founded and served as the first director of University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Fusion Technology Institute, and later established and led UCLA’s Institute of Plasma and Fusion Research. Throughout his career, Dr. Conn was frequently sought after to advise the federal government and scientific agencies, serving over the years on many advisory committees. After leaving UCSD in 2002, Conn became a Managing Director at Enterprise Partners Venture Capital where he led investments in semiconductor, computing and software companies. From 2009 to 2020, Dr. Conn served as president and chief executive officer of The Kavli Foundation, a U.S.- based foundation dedicated to the advancement of basic science research and public interest in science. He co-founded the Science Philanthropy Alliance in 2012 and catalyzed with two other foundations the BRAIN Initiative of President Obama in 2013.

He has received many awards and accolades over the years. Among them, the 2018 �鶹��ý Revelle Medal, an honor recognizing the leaders and visionaries who have helped make �鶹��ý one of the top research universities in the world. In September 2023 he was selected to receive the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Simon Ramo Founders Award, one of the oldest and most prestigious of the NAE. In recognition for his role in shaping national science and technology policy through leadership in academia, business, and philanthropy, and for seminal contributions to fusion engineering. More recently, in March 2024, he was awarded the Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award by Research!America for his significant contributions to increasing the level of advocacy for medical and health research at the local, state, or national level.