UCLA officials appointed a law professor as interim dean for the division of social sciences Friday.
Laura Gómez will temporarily replace Alessandro Duranti as dean of UCLA Division of Social Sciences on July 1, according to a statement to faculty and staff by Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh.
Gómez was the UCLA School of Law’s vice dean for faculty development from 2013 to 2015, according to the school’s website.
Gómez joined UCLA as a law professor in 1994. She went on to teach law and American studies at the University of New Mexico in 2005 and returned to UCLA in 2011.
Gómez also sits on the faculty advisory boards for the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and the Center for the Study of Women, according to the statement. She was the associate editor of the Law & Society Review journal and has conducted research about critical race theory, sociology and law.
Gómez is the youngest person ever elected as president of the Law and Society Association, according to the website.
Duranti was appointed as dean of social sciences in 2009. As dean, Duranti established entrepreneurship programs such as Startup UCLA and the UCLA Social Enterprise Academy.
He announced his retirement as dean in February and will return to the faculty as a professor and researcher in the fall.
Waugh said his office will begin searching for a permanent dean later this quarter.