Dr. Gabrielle Allen began her tenure Oct. 3 as associate dean of research and research education and director of the Bureau of Educational Research at the College of Education at Illinois.

Interim Dean James Anderson said Allen’s exceptionally strong scholarly record, extensive quantitative skills, knowledge of federal funding agencies, and ability to build cross-campus connections made her stand out as the top candidate of a campuswide search.

“Her expertise will bolster our leadership of the Illinois Learning Sciences Design Initiative, and potentially expand the role that the College and the Illinois Digital Ecologies and Learning Lab will play in the developing Illinois Design Center cross-campus multidisciplinary initiative,” Anderson said.

Prior to joining the College, Allen was a professor in the Department of Astronomy and associate director for computational research and education programs at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. She will continue to serve NCSA as a senior adviser to Research and Development and as a senior research scientist in the physics and astronomy thematic area.

“I am honored to be joining the revered faculty and bright students at the College of Education,” Allen said. “Moving into the role of associate dean for research and research education in the College of Education is a natural next step where I can use my background and experiences to help the College further its vision to engage in research on critical issues in education, leveraging the interdisciplinary strengths across the campus as well as new opportunities from computing and data science.”

Read more about Allen in a news story by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.