SOCORRO, N.M. (Jan. 2, 2024)—In December, Daniel H. López, interim president of New Mexico Tech, announced that Dr. Michael Jackson has been appointed to serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs on a permanent basis. Jackson has been the interim VP for the past year, and prior to that, was the Associate VP of Academic Affairs.

President López said that Jackson has led Academic Affairs “in a superb manner” and that his “enthusiasm and his vision … are elements for a successful future.”

Jackson said, “I'm delighted and grateful to continue in my role as VPAA at this outstanding institution. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Presidents Wells and López, and I am excited to be part of President Amouzegar's team when he joins us. I am continually impressed and energized by what our students, staff, and faculty accomplish. I look forward to helping advance our existing activities, including the excellent programs introduced by my predecessor Dr. Doug Wells, along with facilitating new initiatives so that, together, we can meet the needs of our students, New Mexico, and beyond."

Jackson holds a Ph.D. in Physics from New Mexico State, and was recently honored as a fellow in the American Physical Society. Jackson is also a Fellow of the American Association of Physics Teachers and recipient of their David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching.

Dr. Jackson's research interests include the discovery of THz laser emissions, the measurement of their frequencies, and their use in conducting high-resolution spectroscopic investigations of stable molecules and short-lived free radicals. He is also involved in the Effective Practices for Physics Programs (EP3) project, whose goal is to support physics programs with collections of knowledge, experience, and proven good practice for responding to the unique challenges they face and to effectively engage in the systematic improvement of their programs.