The chancellor of Washington University announced his plans to resign in 2019, he told the university's Board of Trustees Friday.
Mark S. Wrighton, who has been serving in the role as chancellor since 1995, intends to conclude his term no later than July 1, 2019. Wrighton serves as Washington Unversity's 14th and second-longest serving chancellor, succeeding William H. Danforth, who served in the role from 1971 to 1995.
Wrighton holds many accomplishments in his decades-long career, including over 300 published scholarly articles; 16 patents stemming from his research in the areas of photochemistry, surface chemistry, and others; as well as receiving many awards, including the Pure Chemistry Award in 1981, the Award in Inorganic Chemistry in 1988, and the Citizen of the Year by the St. Louis Dispatch in 2007.
"I am very proud of the progress that has been made at Washington University during my years as chancellor," remarked Wrighton in a statement. "Much has been accomplished in partnership with a long list of strong, effective leaders across the university. Together, we have accomplished something extraordinary in the past 22 years, building upon the remarkable foundation established by Chancellor Emeritus William H. Danforth."
He rose through the ranks in the Department of Chemistry while at MIT in the 1980s prior to taking the role as chancellor in 1995.
