Richard H. Heist, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President and
Chief Academic Officer, Daytona Beach Campus

Richard Heist was named Embry-Riddle's provost and senior vice president in July 2007. He is also a professor of engineering. On January 1st, 2009 he was named Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of the Daytona Beach Campus.

At Embry-Riddle, Daytona Beach he oversees all academic, student and staff matters in addition to the overall operation of the Campus. His responsibilities include all academic and student support, including the appointment, evaluation, management, and promotion of faculty; the evaluation and development of curricula; the growth of scholarly research; and the management of all student life operations. He also establishes and maintains the quality of university-wide academic activities, ensuring accreditation compliance and sound academic policy. He works with the president, other university officers, campus office directors, and faculty to provide strategic direction for the university.

Most recently, Heist was with Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., where he was the dean of the School of Engineering, director of the Nucleation Laboratory, and a professor of chemical engineering.

Before joining Manhattan College, Heist spent 26 years at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., where he was the associate dean for Graduate Studies for the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences as well as a professor of chemical engineering and Director of the Center for Nucleation Research.

Heist has a solid record of research and scholarship in nucleation, nucleation-related phenomena, cavitation, aerosols and other ultrafine particles, and educational applications of microcomputers. In addition, Dr. Heist has received many awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching.

He holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Purdue University and a B.A. in Chemistry from Catawba College.