Many may be familiar with the new dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, or CNAS. Peter Atkinson, a professor of genetics in the Department of Entomology, has been with UCR for 28 years. Less familiar may be his vision, which emphasizes social mobility, collaboration with other colleges, and CNAS as the premier hub for transformative research in the region.

A first-generation college student, Atkinson hails from Melbourne, Australia. He credits his parents with making tremendous sacrifices during his childhood for for his education.  He studied at the University of Melbourne, where he earned his B.S. and Ph.D. 

“I want to create as many opportunities as possible for CNAS students from all walks of life to experience success,” Atkinson said. “We have the ability to transform not just individual lives but the entire region.”

Because UCR is located in an arid region in California, it is an ideal place to conduct research that will help humankind adapt to the rapid climate changes taking place. Solutions to problems like extreme drought and heat, high salinity content in agricultural soils, and devastating wildfires are easier to find when you’re witnessing them firsthand.

“When you want to solve tomorrow’s problems today, come and work where it already is tomorrow,” Atkinson said. “Our location and resources position CNAS and UCR as a magnet for the brightest minds in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine.”

Atkinson is confident that UCR can continue to innovate and improve this region as it did after its founding at the turn of the last century as a citrus experiment station. “We’ve done transformational change before, and we can continue to do it,” he said. 

After his own graduation, Atkinson conducted postdoctoral research at Syracuse University’s Department of Biology in New York, then became the senior research scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the research arm of the Australian government. In 1997, he came to UCR, where he has held a number of administrative positions in addition to conducting his own research. 

He has served as deputy and interim director of the Institute of Integrative Genome Biology; director of the Center for Vector Research; chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee; divisional dean of Life Sciences; and chair of the Senate Committee on Planning and Budget. 

His transition to dean began 16 months ago when he was appointed interim dean of CNAS.

“The college has a major role to play in the university, but there are challenges ahead of it and I accepted the role as dean because I want to be part of moving us forward, along with my colleagues across campus,” Atkinson said. 

In his own lab, Atkinson is developing genetic control using CRISPR technology for insects like the whitefly, a pest of agriculture worldwide, and the glassy-winged sharpshooter, which is an invasive pest of California agriculture. Genetic control strategies are an alternative to the use of chemical insecticides. 

Demonstrating his personal commitment to collaboration, he is working on these solutions with Professor Linda Walling, a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, and with Professor Rick Redak, chair of the Department of Entomology.  

A longtime advocate for education as a pathway to opportunity, Atkinson also draws inspiration from his wife, a former teacher in the Jurupa Valley Unified School District. Together, they have witnessed the profound impact of educational institutions like UCR on underserved communities. 

“The talent is all around us,” Atkinson said. “We need to ensure that these students see UCR as the destination for their higher education.”