Cammy Abernathy

Cammy R. Abernathy
Education	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, 1980); Stanford University (MS, PhD, 1985)
Occupation(s)	Materials scientist, academic administrator
Years active	1993–present
Known for	Dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida

Cammy R. Abernathy is a distinguished materials scientist and previously served as dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida.

Education

Abernathy completed her undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980. She then obtained both her MS and PhD degrees in materials science and engineering from Stanford University by 1985.

Career

Beginning her tenure at the University of Florida in 1993, Abernathy advanced to the role of associate dean from 2004 until 2009. She was appointed dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering in 2009. During her deanship in 2015, the college received a historic $50 million naming gift from Herbert Wertheim, marking the largest monetary contribution ever made to UF. Abernathy concluded her term as dean in December 2022, with Forrest Masters taking over as interim dean.

She was among the finalists for the presidency at the University of Memphis, although Bill Hardgrave was ultimately selected for the position.

Her research expertise lies in thin-film electronic materials and devices. Abernathy’s scholarly output includes more than 500 journal publications, approximately 430 conference proceedings, one co-authored book, seven edited collections, eight book chapters, and she holds seven patents. Currently, she leads the Engineering Leadership Institute at UF as its William H. Wadsworth director.

Recognition

In 2009, Abernathy was honored as a Fellow of the American Physical Society for her pioneering work in molecular beam epitaxy growth of compound semiconductor materials. She also holds fellowship status with the American Vacuum Society.

The University of Florida's Association for Academic Women recognized her in 2016 as Woman of Distinction, celebrating her leadership and dedication to fostering diversity and inclusion.