AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn University professor, department chair and researcher Arthur Appel has been named interim associate dean for research in the College of Agriculture and interim assistant director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, effective Jan. 1, Dean and Director Bill Batchelor has announced.
“Dr. Appel’s track record of success as a researcher and administrative leader at Auburn make him an excellent selection for this role,” Batchelor said. “He has been vital to our research programs and administrative team, and we are pleased for his interest and willingness to take on these new opportunities.”
Appel will succeed John Lui, who was recently named Auburn’s new associate vice president for research and associate provost. Appel has served as chair of Auburn’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology since 2005. He joined the Auburn faculty as an assistant professor in 1985 and was promoted to associate professor in 1990 and professor in 1997. He has also held a research appointment with AAES since 1985.
“I’m looking forward to following the good work that Dr. Lui has done for our research programs and to working with our faculty and students to further build our research portfolio,” Appel said. “This is one of those positions to serve the greater good in the college and experiment station, and I am delighted for that opportunity.”
A Los Angeles native, Appel is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles with a B.A. in biology. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in urban entomology from the University of California at Riverside.
As a researcher, Appel is known for his expertise in the biology, physiology and control of urban insects, as well as insect physiological ecology.
