The University of Kansas on Thursday announced its hiring of a University at Buffalo professor and administrator as KU’s next dean of pharmacy.

KU selected David Dietz, who is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology as well as the associate dean of research strategy at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

He will begin his new role Aug. 1.

“With a proven record of excellence in scholarship and research, as well as innovation in academic programs and administrative practice, David will serve as a visionary leader to advance the School of Pharmacy in future years,” said Barbara A. Bichelmeyer, university chief academic officer and provost and executive vice chancellor of KU Lawrence and Edwards, in a news release.

As dean of the pharmacy school, Dietz will lead the school’s faculty and staff strengthen research and academic programs. He will be responsible for personnel, budgets, alumni engagement, fundraising, and government and industry relations. He will also be a strong proponent for pharmacological research, professional pharmaceutical education and the school as a whole. He will bridge pharmacy research across the school, campus, KU Medical Center and the University of Kansas Health System, according to the release.

“This represents a phenomenal opportunity to move the school forward, building on its already amazing track of progress and positioning the School of Pharmacy as a major hub of activity in terms of education and research at the University of Kansas,” Dietz said in the release. “I want to support faculty, staff and students in continuing excellence and empowering them to be even stronger members of KU. This will enable all of us to facilitate the opportunities we need to reach our goals, while connecting communities and partners throughout the state, nation and world.”

Dietz will succeed Barbara Timmermann, who has served as KU’s interim pharmacy dean since May 2024.

In his position as chair of UB’s pharmacology and toxicology department, Dietz oversees two undergraduate majors, two master’s programs and two doctoral programs. He founded the school’s undergraduate program in neurosciences, and he has also helped develop and implement a medical school curriculum that utilizes an integrated approach to prepare students for developing challenges in the modern health care field.

Dietz’s research has focused on understanding how molecular and behavioral plasticity in the brain mediates the susceptibility of individuals to drug abuse and relapse, according to the release. He is principal investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health grants to study heroin- and cocaine-induced changes in the brain during addiction.

Dietz earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Florida State University and his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University. He additionally was a postdoctoral fellow in the Friedman Brain Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.