Robert D. Coombe: Our 17th Chancellor
Although he was born a fifth-generation Missourian, Robert Coombe has been a resident of Colorado for the majority of his life. After growing up in Denver and attending Denver public schools, he earned a bachelor's degree from Williams College and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. His doctoral studies were followed by a postdoctoral research appointment at the University Toronto and then by a seven-year stint as a researcher for Rockwell International at its Thousand Oaks, California, corporate laboratory. He returned to Denver in the fall of 1981 to take a faculty position in the chemistry department at DU, beginning a long and rewarding association with the University that has now begun its 28th academic year.
For many of those years at DU, Dr. Coombe's work focused on teaching students in his classroom (where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in physical chemistry, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and advanced kinetics and molecular dynamics) and in his research laboratory. His work as a scientist has long focused on the dynamics of interactions among energetic, inorganic molecules, its major applications lying in the development of new laser systems, and new methods for deposition of nitride semiconductors.
Dr. Coombe has served the University in a number of leadership roles, including chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; dean of the Division of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering; and provost of the University. He began his current appointment as 17th chancellor of the University of Denver, succeeding chancellor Daniel L. Ritchie, on July 1, 2005. Apart from his work at the University, Dr. Coombe currently serves as a member of the American Council on Education's Commission on International Initiatives and on the Committee on Accountability of the Board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He is a member of the Rocky Mountain Regional Advisory Board of the Institute for International Education and serves as a trustee of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
The father of two grown children and grandfather of four, Dr. Coombe's principal avocations are associated with the arts and the outdoors. A devoted amateur musician, he plays the cello and a number of brass instruments. He and his wife, Dr. Julanna Gilbert, a chemistry professor at the University as well as a talented violinist, enjoy playing in informal chamber ensembles.