With a tenure at KGI that has spanned more than 20 years, Angelika Niemz has held many roles. Now, Niemz prepares to step into a new one –– dean of the Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, effective January 1, 2025.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to KGI in this new leadership role,” said Niemz. “I have witnessed KGI grow and evolve over the past decades, and I want to do my part in ensuring that our institute fulfills its mission and maintains the spirit that makes us unique.”
As dean, Niemz will oversee KGI’s largest school of programs, which includes one doctoral program, seven master's programs and several certificate programs.
First hired by KGI in 2002 as an assistant professor, Niemz has held several leadership positions in Riggs School, including most recently as associate dean of faculty and professor. She teaches courses on medical diagnostics, high throughput technologies, and instrumentation development, and has obtained independent research funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense. Niemz also organized an NSF-funded summer undergraduate research program at KGI and coordinated K-12 outreach activities, including internship opportunities for high school teachers and students.
"Angelika has been an instrumental member of KGI since the beginning,” said Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Megan Prosser. “I am excited for her to step into this new role, and I am confident that she will lead the Riggs school with her passionate commitment to faculty and student excellence.”
A native of Germany, Niemz earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Konstanz in Germany. Prior to joining KGI, Niemz was a postdoctoral fellow in chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology.