Beate Schmittmann is one of five finalists for the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Schmittmann received her Ph.D. in physics in 1984 from the University of Edinburgh in United Kingdom. In 1990, after working for several years at the Universitat Dusseldorf in Germany, Schmittmann began a career in the physics department at Virginia Tech.

Schmittmann was named chairwoman of the department of physics at Virginia Tech in 2006, a position she has had ever since. Her main field of research has been on theoretical condensed matter physics.

Schmittmann will be on campus Thursday and will speak at an open forum. The forum will begin at 3:30 p.m. in 1951 Food Sciences Building. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend and ask questions.

Three dean finalists — Albert Boggess, Carolyn Cutrona and Chaden Djalali — have previously held their open forums. The last finalist, Doug Epperson, will arrive on campus Monday, with a separate open forum.