A nationwide search to find a new dean for the University of Pittsburgh’s largest school has led to an educator already working on campus.

Adam K. Leibovich, described by Pitt officials as a prolific scholar and accomplished teacher, will become dean of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and College of General Studies on July 1.

He will succeed Kathleen Blee, dean since 2017, who announced last year she planned to step down and return to the faculty.

Leibovich is the school’s associate dean for research and faculty development and a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, officials said in making the announcement Wednesday. Since last year, he also has been director of the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, a collaborative interdisciplinary organization that advances research, education and training in quantum science and engineering.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Cornell University in 1992 and a doctorate in theoretical physics from California Institute of Technology in 1997.

Leibovich served as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago and as a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He joined Pitt’s Department of Physics and Astronomy as an assistant professor in 2003 and became department chair in 2015 and associate dean for research and faculty development in 2017.

In a university-issued statement and an interview Wednesday with the Tribune-Review, Leibovich, 53, said he looks forward to the new role and hopes to enhance opportunities for research within and across disciplines, as well as educational opportunities. He noted the importance of faculty recruiting and fundraising and said he wants to foster an inclusive environment that is welcoming to all students, faculty and staff.

“My aim has always been to support our Pitt community, and I will bring this foundational ethic to my new role to continue the enhancement of opportunities for our faculty, staff and students,” Leibovich said in the statement.

He told the Trib that Pitt students should have opportunities to interact with scholars who are pushing their disciplines and to learn both in and outside the classroom.

“I hope to try to get out and meet with students when appropriate, to be visible and accessible,” he said. “Just because I will have the title of dean should not mean that I am a scary person.”

The deanship was one of several key academic openings at Pitt, which is preparing to transition from Chancellor Patrick Gallagher to Chancellor-elect Joan Gabel. Gabel, president of the University of Minnesota system and its Twin Cities campus, takes office in July, while Gallagher is returning to teaching after nine years as chancellor.

Pitt will be looking for a successor to Provost Ann Cudd, who is leaving after this semester for the presidency of Portland State University, and also is seeking new dental and engineering deans.

Dietrich is the largest of the university’s 16 colleges and schools, with enrollment of just under 13,000, according to the university. Pitt’s overall enrollment on its five campuses is about 34,000.

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