C. L. Max Nikias

Chrysostomos L. "Max" Nikias (born September 30, 1952 in Komi Kepir, Cyprus[1]) is the current President of the University of Southern California (USC). His term as the 11th president of the university began on August 3, 2010.[2]

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Personal life and education

Nikias was born in the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. There, he attended the Famagusta Gymnasium and graduated with honors. He married his wife Niki c. 1976, and the couple have two daughters, Georgiana and Maria.[1] He received a degree in electrical and mechanical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 1977, and has an academic interest in Athenian drama and democracy.[3] Nikias earned an master's degree in 1980 and a Ph.D. in 1982 in electrical engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo. (His predecessor as USC president, Steven Sample, is likewise an electrical engineer, and served as president of SUNY-Buffalo from 1982 to 1991.) Nikias lived on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, an area southwest of Los Angeles, with his wife and two daughters. Following his inauguration as president of USC, he and his family moved to San Marino, located closer to both USC campuses.

Faculty experience

Nikias was appointed to the faculty at the University of Connecticut from 1982 to 1985, and at Northeastern University from 1985 to 1991; he became a U.S. citizen in 1988.[1]

He joined the USC faculty in 1991, the same year that Sample became the university's president. From 2001 to 2005, he was dean of USC's Viterbi School of Engineering. From 2005 to 2011, he served as provost. During his term, he launched the Visions and Voices program, which offers arts and humanities events for students.[4] He has also led enhancements to the Keck School of Medicine, including management changes. Since 2008, he has held the Malcolm R. Currie Chair in Technology and the Humanities. On March 11, 2010, he was chosen by a unanimous vote of the university's board of trustees to succeed Steven Sample as president.

Research

Nikias gained acclaim for his research in the fields of digital signal processing and communications, digital media systems, and biomedicine. Some of his other research interests have included radar and sonar technologies.[5] He has consulted with corporations and the U.S. government. Nikias is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and has won various awards for his work.

Publications

References

  1. ^ a b c "Profile of USC's next president". Los Angeles Times. 2010-03-12. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/12/local/la-me-usc-biobox12-2010mar12. Retrieved 21 July 2010. 
  2. ^ "C. L. Max Nikias Named 11th President of USC". USC News. 11 March 2010. http://uscnews.usc.edu/university/c_l_max_nikias_named_11th_president_of_usc.html. Retrieved 20 September 2010. 
  3. ^ "The Provost". University of Southern California. usc.edu. http://www.usc.edu/admin/provost/provost.html. Retrieved 24 March 2010. 
  4. ^ "Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative". usc.edu. http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/visionsandvoices/about.php. Retrieved 20 September 2010. 
  5. ^ "USC Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering: Chrysostomos L. Nikias". ee.usc.edu. http://ee.usc.edu/faculty_staff/faculty_directory/nikias.htm. Retrieved 20 September 2010. 
Academic offices
Preceded by
Steven B. Sample		 11th President of the University of Southern California
August 3, 2010-		 Succeeded by
None