Office of the President

David E. Daniel is the fourth president of The University of Texas at Dallas.

He received his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees in engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and served on the faculty at UT Austin from 1980 to 1996. In 1996, he moved to the University of Illinois, finishing his service there as Dean of Engineering before being appointed UT Dallas' president in 2005.

Dr. Daniel’s professional work has focused on environmental controls for contaminated land and groundwater. He has published more than 100 technical articles and authored or edited five books.

His work has been recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which awarded him its highest honor for papers published in its journals (the Norman Medal) and on two separate occasions awarded him its second highest honor, the Croes Medal. In 2000, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the nation’s most prestigious organization recognizing engineering achievement.

In 2005 through 2008, Daniel served as Chair of the External Review Panel of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which reviewed the facts surrounding the performance of New Orleans’ levees during Hurricane Katrina.

During his presidency at UT Dallas, the university has opened a new $85 million science and engineering research building, initiated design on $220 million of additional buildings, launched a $30 million campus-enhancement program, raised the academic rankings of its programs, launched a new undergraduate research program, introduced living-learning communities to residential housing, raised more than $50 million of private funds, and won the national championship of chess.