Ohio University appointed Robert Frank as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit recently announced. The appointment is effective Aug. 1, 2012.

Frank was selected to lead the University’s largest college during the course of a national search. He is a professor of psychology and is currently associate dean for research and graduate studies in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati.

He has also served at Cincinnati as the interim dean of the Graduate School, associate dean of the Graduate School and associate vice president and associate university dean in the Office of Research and Advanced Studies.

“Dr. Frank embodies all the best traditions of the College,” Benoit said. “In the course of his distinguished career at Cincinnati, he has demonstrated his capacity to be an imaginative and engaging leader. He will be a great asset to the College and to the University.”

Frank received a B.A. in psychology and philosophy from Allegheny College, an M.A. in psychology from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati.

He has a substantial record of research as reflected in peer-reviewed publications, funded research and direction of master’s and doctoral students. Frank’s scholarship is interdisciplinary in nature, involving both biology and psychology, and focuses on taste and smell perception.

Frank was a founding partner in CompuSniff, LLC, which was formed in 2002 to develop a medical device designed to help diagnose olfactory disorders that could be harbingers of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. The Sniff Magnitude Test developed by the company was named one of the best new inventions of 2007 by Popular Science.

Frank said, “I am thrilled to be coming to Ohio as dean of Arts and Sciences, and look forward to working together with students, faculty and staff in our collective pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and service.”

Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences was established in 1936. It consists of 19 departments and a variety of other interdisciplinary programs, research centers and institutes. In 2010, the college had 303 full-time tenure-track faculty, 4,266 undergraduates and 846 graduate students. The college offers 32 traditional and 50 special curricula majors, 29 minors, and 11 certificate programs.