Dr. Eric (Rick) Garfunkel is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Physics and serves as Vice President for Global Affairs at Rutgers University. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from U.C. Berkeley and a B.S. from Haverford College in the U.S. Garfunkel is a leading expert in materials science, with research focused on materials and devices for nanoelectronics, alternative energy (hydrogen, solar, and batteries), and catalysis. His work—supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and the semiconductor industry—contributed to (i) the development of high-K/metal gate materials, and to nanolithography, used in advanced transistors, and (ii) high efficiency water splitting materials and devices for hydrogen generation. At Rutgers, Garfunkel helped establish the university’s materials and nanotechnology centers and served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Since 2015, as Vice President for Global Affairs, he has led Rutgers’ internationalization strategy, overseeing global partnerships, study abroad programs, and services for over 8,000 international students and scholars.
For over two decades, Garfunkel has helped lead the international engagement of the African Materials Research Society (AMRS), a network of more than 1,000 scientists and engineers across Africa and the African diaspora. He has supported the last seven AMRS biennial conferences through U.S. NSF funding. These convenings examine basic and applied materials and STEM research relevant to Africa, incorporating advanced pedagogy, private sector development, and gender inclusion. He also helped organize workshops with African Academy of Sciences members, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), and African academic leaders to shape a major Africa–U.S. higher education STEM partnership program focused on economic development. Garfunkel is an active member of the Rutgers’ Center for African Studies and plays a key role in hosting Mandela Washington Fellows and other African students and scholars at Rutgers.
