Following a national search, Kansas State University has named Peter K. Dorhout as vice president for research.
Dorhout has served as the interim vice president for research since January. He will continue to lead the university’s research, scholarship, creative activities and discovery programs as they align with the goals of K-State 2025 strategic plan.
“Peter Dorhout has been an effective leader and collaborator at Kansas State University,” said President Kirk Schulz. “His comprehensive understanding of the challenges researchers encounter along with his strategic vision of increasing research at a land-grant university will continue to move Kansas State University forward to achieve status as a Top 50 public research university by 2025.”
From 2012-2015, Dorhout was dean of Kansas State University’s College of Arts & Sciences and a professor of chemistry. Dorhout has a history of professional experience at other land-grant universities. Before coming to Kansas State University, he was the interim provost at Colorado State University, Pueblo. He also served as vice provost for graduate studies, assistant vice president for research and professor of chemistry at Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
“There is such a diversity of strong talent and a rich history of outstanding research at Kansas State, and I am honored to be selected to lead us to the next level,” Dorhout said. “As a Top 50 public research university, K-State will offer not only new knowledge and new technologies to the people of Kansas, but will continue to educate and train students at all levels to have successful careers that impact our global challenges.”
Dorhout is recognized as an expert in solid state and nuclear materials science and environmental chemistry. He has had active research programs in solid-state f-element and radiochemistry, and nanomaterials science; published more than 115 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and reviews; and has presented his research at more than 130 international and national invited lectures.
As a collaborator at Los Alamos National Laboratory since 1987, Dorhout has been an active leader in research nationwide. He has led professional organizations and foundations as a member of the boards of directors for the American Chemical Society, the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Kansas State University Research Foundation, Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance and the Coronado Council Boys Scouts of America executive board.
He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign and a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His list of professional awards includes fellow of the American Chemical Society, Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, A.P. Sloan Foundation fellow, National Science Foundation CAREER fellow and the ACS-ExxonMobil Faculty Award in Solid State Chemistry.
