Indiana University has appointed O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs professor Shahzeen Attari director of the IU Institute for Advanced Study, effective Aug. 1.
The institute has fostered interdisciplinarity on the Bloomington campus since 1981, bringing together faculty, students and visiting scholars from different disciplines to explore questions, exchange ideas, and build collaborations across fields through fellowships, working groups, visiting scholars and campus partnerships.
“Shaz exemplifies the qualities the IU Institute for Advanced Study aims to cultivate: broad intellectual interests, excellence in research, and a commitment to work with diverse groups of scholars to tackle important, complex questions,” IU Bloomington interim Provost John Ciorciari said. “She will be an outstanding leader of the institute in the years ahead.”
Attari is an internationally recognized scholar whose research examines how people understand and respond to climate change and energy transitions. As director of the Institute for Advanced Study, she will lead and collaborate across disciplines; guide programming and strategic planning; support faculty research development; and expand the institute’s impact across IU Bloomington and beyond.
“One of the greatest strengths of a university is the extraordinary range and depth of expertise it brings together,” Attari said. “The Institute for Advanced Study creates opportunities for people to ask questions together, learn from one another and build collaborations that might not have happened otherwise. The discoveries that change how we understand the world often begin with conversations that otherwise would never have happened.”
The institute was previously led by Patricia Ingham, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Religious Studies, who retired in December. Associate director Suzanne Godby Ingalsbe served as interim director through Attari’s appointment.
“We are delighted to welcome Shahzeen Attari as the institute’s new director,” Ingalsbe said. “Her interdisciplinary background and experience bringing people together across disciplines provide an excellent foundation for the work she will undertake, and we foresee her vision leading to even more cross-campus connections in our signature programs and new opportunities.”
Attari’s appointment follows the institute’s transition from IU Research to the IU Bloomington Office of the Chancellor in July.