Richard Utz

Richard Utz is Interim Dean and Professor at Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, leading the School of Literature, Media, and Communication (LMC). He has driven significant growth in research funding, enrollment diversity, and curricular innovation, including minors in Black Media Studies and Science Fiction. His leadership revitalized spaces like the Sci-Fi Lab and Career Origination Lab, funded by Mellon Foundation grants. Utz champions the 'Humanizing STEM' initiative, emphasizing arts integration. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Regensburg, specializing in medievalism, medieval culture, and interdisciplinary humanities. A global scholar, he chairs the International Society for the Study of Medievalism and advises on strategic plans for the Ivan Allen College.

His research focuses on medievalism's role in modern identity, science-humanities intersections, and cultural memory. Utz has published widely, with works translated into multiple languages, and received awards like the Johann von Spix Visiting Professorship and Harvard's Dumbarton Oaks fellowship. He actively contributes to academic governance through workshops on tenure processes and faculty mentoring programs.

Utz’s administrative roles include overseeing faculty affairs, strategic planning, and development initiatives supporting LGBTQ+ programs and international internships. He represents Georgia Tech in national and international academic networks, advocating for liberal arts relevance in technological contexts.