Gregory Geoffroy has been president of Iowa State since July 1, 2001.

He began his career as an assistant professor of chemistry at Pennsylvania State University in 1974, then advancing to associate professor in 1978 and professor in 1982.

He was then appointed senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Maryland in 1997.

Geoffroy served as interim president for two months at the University of Maryland in 1998.

He helped develop the 2005 to 2010 Strategic Plan, which envisions advancing the land-grant ideals and putting science and technology to work.

The plan has goals of providing the best possible education to Iowa State’s students, raising the academic quality of the university, being a fully engaged university with the people of Iowa, elevating Iowa’s appeal as a place to live, learn and work, and ensuring that the university is a great place to work.

Geoffroy is the second of Iowa State’s 14 presidents to come from a chemistry background.

He is a nationally acclaimed researcher in organometallic chemistry.

Geoffroy has published more than 200 research articles in refereed journals; presented more than 200 invited lectures in the United States and nine other nations; is co-author of the book “Organometallic Photochemistry,” and has directed the work of 37 doctoral students and 15 post-doctoral scholars.

He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1970 and then earned his doctorate in chemistry in 1974 from the California Institute of Technology.

Geoffroy has announced he will step down from his position as president by no later than July 31, 2012.