UC Berkeley professor in mechanical engineering Oliver O’Reilly will serve as campus’s interim vice provost for undergraduate education beginning July 1.

O’Reilly, who is also currently the associate dean for graduate studies in the division of computing, data science and society, will take over the role from Catherine Koshland, who will serve as the interim executive vice chancellor and provost, according to a campuswide email sent Thursday.

“Throughout his career, Oliver has demonstrated his deep commitment to the instructional and research mission of the campus as well as to furthering diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging,” the email reads.

Born and raised in Ireland, O’Reilly joined the mechanical engineering faculty at UC Berkeley in 1992 and has since researched topics such as continuum mechanics and nonlinear dynamics, according to the email. He later served as the chair of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate during the 2019-20 academic year.

The email noted that O’Reilly has recently served as co-chair of the Task Force on Instructional Resilience, which aims to make recommendations on how campus can prepare for disruptions to typical instruction.

He also served on the Task Force for Instructional Planning and Policy and the Chancellor’s Task Force on the Celebration of 150 Years of Women at UC Berkeley, according to the email.

O’Reilly’s appointment comes amid a search for a permanent replacement for current executive vice chancellor and provost Paul Alivisatos, who will soon become the president of the University of Chicago.