R. Sekhar Chivukula is a Professor of Physics in the Michigan State University Department of Physics and Astronomy. He received his Ph.D from Harvard University in 1987. Subsequently, he was a postdoctoral fellow and then a faculty member at Boston University, where he also served as Associate Chair for High-Energy Physics and as Director of Graduate Studies. He moved to Michigan State University in 2003, where he has served as Chair of the University Committee on Academic Policy.
Chivukula’s research focuses on the theory of electroweak symmetry breaking and on the phenomenological implications of theories beyond the standard model of particle physics. He teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate level, and is committed to incorporating active learning in all of his classes. Chivukula enjoys making interactive presentations on particle physics and cosmology to the general public and to K-12 students and teachers.
From 2010-2016, Chivukula has served as the Associate Dean for Faculty Development in the MSU College of Natural Science. In this role he organized faculty development programs, oversaw policies for college reappointment, promotion and tenure, faculty search and mentoring, implemented college policies for teaching evaluation, faculty annual evaluation and workload, and faculty development. He is a co-founder of the workshop series on Teaching Essentials for MSU Faculty, and of the MSU STEM Educational Alliance. He serves as Project Director for the MSU HHMI STEM education project, LEVERS, and as a PI for the Dow STEM Scholars Program.
Chivukula has been named Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at MSU effective Aug. 16, 2016.