Dr. Christine W. Curtis
Senior Vice Provost
Dr. Curtis manages the faculty development programs and matters for the
Provost's Office. She coordinates the tenure and promotion process, administers
the faculty hiring program called Faculty Excellence Initiative or FEI, manages
the sabbatical program, mentoring program, faculty awards for teaching,
research, and service, and oversees the named and endowed chairs program. Dr.
Curtis assists the Provost and leads programs in matters of faculty retention,
diversity and equity, leadership development for chairs, administrators and
faculty leaders, and interdisciplinary opportunities for faculty.
Dr. Curtis received her B.S. in Chemistry from Mercer University and her
M.S. and Ph.D. at The Florida State University in Analytical Chemistry. She
joined Auburn University as a researcher and later as tenure track faculty
in chemical engineering. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses
in the department of Chemical Engineering at Auburn University and directed
28 dissertations and theses. Her research interests are in the areas of
energy and fuels, coal liquefaction, coal and petroleum co-processing,
asphalt chemistry and asphalt-aggregate interactions, and alternate energy
sources. Recently, she led an interdisciplinary team on an NSF grant,
"Ethics of the Nanoscale" and also worked in the area of campus and transit
planning. She received research funding from the Department of Energy,
National Science Foundation, Department of Education, Federal Highway
Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and industry. Dr. Curtis has
published 95 articles in refereed journals and has made numerous
presentations at national and international forums. She served in several
administrative posts at Auburn University including Associate Provost, Head
of Facilities Division, Coordinator of the Quarter to Semester Transition,
and Associate Vice President for Research. She has extensive experience in
recruiting and retaining women and minorities in science and engineering.
She initiated the Summer Bridge Program for freshman minority science
students, helped to develop Auburn's Minority Engineering Program and led
the development of a Women in Science and Engineering Program.
