Mark Gold, adjunct professor of environment and sustainability, has been appointed UCLA associate vice chancellor for environment and sustainability, effective July 1. The announcement was made by Vice Chancellor for Research James Economou, who noted that Gold will continue his leadership role in the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge and foster the progress of this campus priority.
In his new position, Gold will catalyze, coordinate and facilitate research and teaching about environment and sustainability across the UCLA campus. He will also establish an environment and sustainability communications hub, establish and operate a multidisciplinary grant assistance hub and build external partnerships. Further, he will chair the UCLA Sustainability Committee and partner with others to improve campus sustainability and communicate these successes internally and externally.
“Currently, more than 400 UCLA faculty and over 30 centers and institutes are engaged in environmental research,” said Economou. “Given his breadth of work and life experience, Mark will be able to support and extend their efforts.”
Gold has worked extensively over the last 20 years in the field of coastal protection and water pollution. In particular, he has worked on research projects on urban runoff pollution, DDT and PCB contamination in fish and the health risks of swimming at runoff contaminated beaches. He served as the executive director and president of Heal the Bay, an environmental group dedicated to making Southern California coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay, safe, healthy and clean. He created Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card, and has authored or co-authored numerous California coastal protection, water quality and environmental education bills.
Gold also served on the USEPA Urban Stormwater Federal Advisory Committee and was the vice chair of the California Ocean Science Trust. He is currently vice chair of the National Estuary Program’s Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission.
A lifetime Bruin, Gold received his bachelors and masters degrees in biology and a doctorate in environmental science and engineering from UCLA. He stayed connected to UCLA as a lecturer and, in 2012, returned to UCLA full-time as the associate director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES); he served as the IoES acting director in 2014-15.
Gold has been inducted into the UCLA School of Public Health Hall of Fame, and has received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and the Aspen Institute Catto Fellowship.