Jason Engbrecht, a distinguished physicist and educator, assumed the role of Associate Provost at St. Olaf College in June 2022. In this capacity, he collaborates closely with the Provost to oversee the college's academic programs and support faculty and academic staff.
Throughout his career, Jason has been a driving force in advancing science education and research opportunities. He played a pivotal role in establishing St. Olaf's engineering concentration and served as the college's Engineering Advisor for many years. His dedication to student research is evident in his mentorship of 50 students, including two Goldwater Scholars, in antimatter and robotics research.
Jason's passion for innovative education extends beyond traditional classroom settings. He coached St. Olaf engineering teams to two National Championships in the Rube Goldberg collegiate competition. His expertise in creating entertaining Rube Goldberg machines has led to collaborations with major corporations and appearances on national television in both the United States and Japan.
Before his appointment as Associate Provost, Jason held several leadership positions at St. Olaf, including Associate Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Chair of the Physics Department. He has also contributed to faculty governance, chairing the Faculty Governance Committee and serving on the Faculty Life Committee.
Jason's influence in academia reaches beyond St. Olaf. He has reviewed grant programs for the National Science Foundation, refereed for numerous physics journals, and conducted external reviews of physics programs. His commitment to education extends to the K-12 level, evidenced by his 12-year tenure on the Faribault Public Schools Board of Education, where he served as chair and was selected to the Minnesota All-State School Board in 2016.
A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in education, Jason has led initiatives such as a Physics and Engineering Camp for girls and chaired an Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task force at St. Olaf. He continues to be active in his community, having served on his church council and coaching the 2020 State Champion Faribault High School Robotics team.
Jason resides in Faribault, Minnesota, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. He holds a B.S. in Physics from Trinity University and both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.