José Luis Bermúdez Named Interim Dean Of Arts And Sciences

Dr. José Luis Bermúdez, professor of philosophy and the Samuel Rhea Gammon Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University, has been appointed interim dean of the Texas A&M College of Arts and Sciences, effective May 1.

Bermúdez’s appointment was announced mid-April by Texas A&M Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Timothy P. Scott ’89. Bermúdez will continue to serve concurrently as acting dean of the Texas A&M College of Dentistry until June 1.

“Dr. Bermúdez is a distinguished scholar and committed educator who brings significant experience leading organizations and programs during periods of change,” Scott said. “He is committed to excellence in our teaching, research and service missions, while leading the administrative operations for the new College of Arts and Sciences.”

Bermúdez joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2010 as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. As dean, he worked with department heads and faculty within the college to fund and recruit more than 75 new faculty members from leading research universities under Texas A&M’s campus-wide faculty reinvestment program. In 2014, he was appointed as Associate Provost for Strategic Planning, a yearlong appointment during which he chaired the committee implementing a comprehensive administrative review of Texas A&M University — an effort that ultimately redirected significant annual funding to the teaching and research enterprises.

Prior to being recruited to Texas A&M, Bermúdez was a professor of philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also served as director of both the Center for Programs in Arts and Sciences and the Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Program. His interdisciplinary research at the intersection of philosophy and the cognitive and behavioral sciences has resulted in eight single-author books and six edited volumes to date, among many other publications. He was recognized in 2021 with a Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Research.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Bermúdez was educated in England, earning both his bachelor of arts and master’s of arts in philosophy with honors as well as his Ph.D. in philosophy from King’s College, Cambridge University.

His personal interests include managing for wildlife a ranch he owns in Robertson County and training his horse for three-day eventing. He also participates in ultralong-distance bike races, such as the Iditarod Invitational, a 1,000-mile unsupported race across Alaska in winter.

To learn more about Bermúdez and his teaching, research and professional service accomplishments, visit https://liberalarts.tamu.edu/philosophy/profile/jose-luis-bermudez/.

For more information about the Texas A&M College of Arts and Sciences, go to https://artsci.tamu.edu.