The Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences has named J.P. Masly, Ph.D. as its inaugural Associate Dean for Infrastructure and Operations, pending approval by the OU Board of Regents. He is expected to begin his new role May 16, 2026.
Masly brings extensive academic leadership experience and a strong background in managing complex research infrastructure, positioning him well to guide the college’s operational and facilities strategy. In this role, he will provide strategic oversight of the college’s physical infrastructure, space portfolio, major research instrumentation and operational services.
He will serve as the college’s primary liaison to OU Facilities Management and Architectural & Engineering Services, lead the planning of capital projects and renovations, oversee facilities-related budgeting, and develop a multi-year infrastructure roadmap aligned with college priorities and the university’s master plan.
Masly joined the OU Department of Biology in 2010 after earning his doctorate from the University of Rochester and completing a National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California. During his tenure at OU, he has held several leadership roles, including Director of Graduate Studies in Biology, Acting Assistant Department Chair and Chair of the Faculty Senate’s Campus Tenure Committee.
In 2022, Masly was selected as the inaugural Associate Director of the School of Biological Sciences, where he led the consolidation of undergraduate curricula across the former Departments of Biology and Microbiology & Plant Biology. He also established the school’s research themes and currently oversees its extensive laboratory and teaching spaces, including the campus greenhouse complex and the Aquatic Research Facility on South Campus.
His research program, supported by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and additional federal and state funding, explores how genes direct development to produce the diversity of organismal form, as well as how genes influence female reproductive behaviors.
Masly is a 2025 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Fellow and a recipient of the 2025 University of Oklahoma Provost’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Service.
College leadership expressed enthusiasm about Masly joining the dean’s office in this new capacity and contributing to the continued growth and advancement of Arts and Sciences. He will join an experienced leadership team that includes Associate Deans Greg Burge, Rhonda Dean-Kyncl, Georgia Kosmopoulou and Kelvin White.
