The University has named Allen H. Renear, a professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, as the dean of the school, pending Board of Trustees approval. Renear has served as the school’s interim dean since February 2012, according to a press release.

As interim dean, Provost Ilesanmi Adesida said Renear has worked to improve the school’s financial condition, made critical hires in areas of faculty strength and is working with faculty on a vision that “will ensure GSLIS remains the top information school in the 21st century.”

Previously, Renear has served as associate dean for research for the school and has a faculty appointment in the department of philosophy. Before working at the University, Renear directed the Scholarly Technology Group at Brown University.

He earned his bachelor’s degree at Bowdoin College and his master’s degree and doctorate at Brown.

Renear’s research focuses on the development of formal ontologies for scientific and cultural objects and using those ontologies in information system design, scholarly publishing and data curation in the sciences and humanities.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Science Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation have all supported Renear’s research.