Mark McLellan named UF/IFAS dean for research

June 9, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Texas scientist and administrator Mark McLellan has been named dean for research and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, or UF/IFAS. His appointment becomes effective July 11.

McLellan, who currently serves as director of Texas A&M University’s Institute of Food Science and Engineering, was selected to head the statewide research enterprise for UF/IFAS by Jimmy Cheek, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources.

“A national search produced an outstanding pool of candidates for the dean for research position,” Cheek said. “But our search committee, administration and faculty identified Mark McLellan as the outstanding candidate for the position. We look forward to him moving the UF/IFAS research enterprise forward in the future.”

According to Cheek, McLellan is an outstanding food scientist and administrator. He led the effort to build and create the new $10 million National Center for Electron Beam Food Research at Texas A&M.

“He’s taken the institute and significantly improved its effectiveness as a research and educational center and significantly increased its extramural funding,” Cheek said.

“He has also demonstrated leadership abilities as president of the 28,000-member Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit scientific society with an annual budget of $17 million,” Cheek added.

In the search process, McLellan laid out a vision for future research in UF/IFAS that bridges traditional agriculture research with environmental stewardship/natural resources and with food, diet and human health.

“UF/IFAS offers one of the most exciting opportunities to build an agricultural research program for the 21st century based on relevance, expanded directions and partnerships,” McLellan said. “I am very pleased and very proud to be joining the UF/IFAS family.

“I cannot imagine a state with a more diverse agricultural environment to work in and a more talented agricultural research faculty,” he added. “It will be an honor to work with them all. Clearly, UF/IFAS is poised to grow.”

With more than 900 faculty in 22 departments, including The School of Forest Resources and Conservation, the School of Natural Resources and the Environment and elements of the College of Veterinary Medicine, UF/IFAS has offices and/or research and education centers in all 67 Florida counties and is dedicated to developing and providing knowledge in agriculture, natural resources and life sciences.

Prior to arriving at Texas A&M in 1999, McLellan served as associate director and director of Cornell University’s Institute of Food Science and chairman of Cornell’s Department of Food Science and Technology.

He received a bachelor’s degree in food science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and master’s and doctoral degrees in food science from Michigan State University.

McLellan and his wife Julie have six children, all of whom are young adults. The McLellans enjoy snorkeling and diving as well as sailing and motorcycle riding.