Gabrielle Gaustad ’04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University, will deliver the keynote address at the university’s Opening Convocation on Thursday, Aug. 20. The ceremony, set for 3 p.m. in Galanis Family Arena, McLane Center, will mark the beginning of Alfred University’s 191st year. Classes for the 2026-27 year start on Monday, Aug. 24.
Colin Jacques, a junior from Red Bank, NJ, and the Student Senate president, will give welcoming remarks to incoming new students. Jacques majors in political science with minors in public law, economics, and business. Mark Zupan, university president, will deliver opening and concluding remarks.
Gaustad, who also serves as Alfred University’s vice president for Statutory Affairs and associate provost for research, earned a bachelor's degree in ceramic engineering from Alfred in 2004 and went on to earn a master’s degree in computation for design and optimization a doctoral degree in materials science and engineering, both from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Previously a member of the faculty at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Golisano Institute for Sustainability, she returned to her alma mater as Dean of the Inamori School of Engineering in 2019.
As dean, Gaustad oversees Alfred University’s world-renowned engineering school, founded in 1900 by an Act of the New York State Legislature. The Inamori School of Engineering is the only engineering program in the United States that offers the BS, MS and Ph.D. in Glass Engineering Science and one of only three to offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in Ceramic Engineering. Gaustad’s own academic background includes graduating from Alfred University Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in ceramic engineering, with minors in chemistry and art with a concentration in composite materials.
Gaustad has served as principal investigator for sponsored research projects focusing on a wide range of engineering issues connected with sustainability and materials, including the characterization and utilization of scrap steel and aluminum, critical material supply chains and benign battery recycling processes. She has worked with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the National Science Foundation, and many companies in private industry.
She has authored and co-authored dozens of scholarly articles for academic journals and presented globally at technical conferences. She has taught a wide range of courses including Optimization Methods, Sustainable Building Metrics, Leadership, and Selecting Sustainable Materials, at both Rochester Institute of Technology and Alfred University.
In July 2019, Gaustad was appointed vice president for Statutory Affairs. In that role, she serves as SUNY’s chief administrative officer of the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, overseeing supervision of budget requests and expenditures for the College on behalf of the SUNY Board of Trustees. In July 2023, she was appointed associate provost for research. In this role, she leads efforts to formalize internal goals and metrics for scholarly research; celebrate research in partnership with the University’s Marketing and Communications Office; implement and oversee a research advisory committee; and expand the University’s capacity for technology transfer.
