David P. Dobkin (1948-) served as Princeton’s 14th dean of the faculty from 2003 to 2014, overseeing a major expansion of the faculty as the University developed new programs and transformed several areas of study.

In 1970, Dobkin earned his Bachelor of Science in mathematics and electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his doctorate in applied mathematics from Harvard University three years later. After short stints on the faculties of Yale University and the University of Arizona, Dobkin joined the Princeton faculty in 1981 as a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, where he became a crucial catalyst in the creation of the Department of Computer Science in 1985.

Dobkin is an accomplished computer scientist, receiving a Guggenheim fellowship in 1988, the Engineering Council's teaching award in 1990, an Association for Computing Machinery fellowship in 1997 and a Fulbright fellowship in 2000.

He served as the chair of the Department of Computer Science from 1994 to 2003, laying the foundation of his administrative experience before his decade-plus tenure as dean of the faculty. “He brought to the role a deep and abiding curiosity about the scholarly work of the faculty, and they returned his interest with admiration and affection,” colleagues said upon his retirement.

As dean of the faculty, Dobkin spearheaded the development of the Lewis Center for the Arts and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. He oversaw the transformation of existing departments and programs, including chemistry and African American studies. Among all his achievements, Dobkin advocated for University efforts to ensure Princeton was a welcoming place for all faculty and their families.

Dobkin was renowned for his dean’s lunches, inviting faculty members from all departments and various ranks to discuss their work. The result often generated new collaborations among faculty who had never encountered one another before the lunch.

Outside of his University service, Dobkin has served on the executive committee of the National Science Foundation’s Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science and the foundation’s Geometry Center.

Written by Shane B. Black for the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.