David E. Richardson is dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor in the department of chemistry. He was appointed dean in 2015 after serving as interim dean since July 2014. In the dean’s office, he has served since 2009 as senior associate dean, with a focus on faculty affairs. He previously served the college as associate dean for research and was chair of the department of chemistry from 2000 to 2006. His research program focuses on the study of reactivity in transition metal chemistry and main-group chemistry, particularly in catalytic reactions of biochemical, synthetic or industrial interest. They seek to identify the mechanistic principles that lead to efficient and selective catalysts for a variety of biochemical and industrial processes. In recent years, the focus has been on oxidation chemistry and catalysis using main group oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide. His classroom teaching has been at both the undergraduate level and the graduate level in the areas of general and inorganic chemistry. Richardson received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University in 1981, and was an NIH postdoctoral associate at Stanford and MIT before starting his career as an assistant professor at the University of Florida in 1983.