KAUST President
Dear community members,
Jean Fréchet, Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation & Economic Development, will retire from KAUST at the end of 2018. Please join us to wish Professor Fréchet and his wife Janet well after their eight-and-a-half year stay at KAUST and to thank them for their service to our community on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. in the University Library. A light lunch will be served.
As an accomplished and highly cited chemist, researcher and entrepreneur, Jean came to KAUST in May 2010 from University of California, Berkeley. He has written more than 800 scientific papers with more than 119,000 citations as well as about 200 US and international patents. The number of citations has continued to increase since Jean’s arrival at KAUST, attesting to the long-term impact of his work.
At KAUST, Jean set research strategy and consolidated the full spectrum of research administration into one organization, from distributing research funding with the Office of Sponsored Research to providing centrally available research instrumentation and expertise with the Core Labs to delivering on-site equipment support with Lab Equipment Maintenance. He developed strategies and managed resources to support interdisciplinary, collaborative research bridging science and engineering. He also helped KAUST establish its vision of becoming a globally renowned research university with an entrepreneurial culture by overseeing the University’s Research Centers and Innovation & Economic Development.
KAUST has benefitted immeasurably under Jean’s strong, clear-eyed and effective leadership. Please come to thank Jean and Janet for their foundational contributions to the University and community.
Sincerely,
Tony Chan
