William Gibbons, Ph.D. will join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) as the new Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) on August 1. 

A leading music scholar, Gibbons’ wide-ranging research explores the intersections of the arts, humanities, and technology in contemporary culture, especially in video games. He will help strengthen RPI’s unique, holistic approach to learning and discovery that foregrounds the human and social context of scientific and technological progress. 

Prior to joining RPI, Gibbons served as Dean of The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, one of the oldest and largest schools of music in the Northeast. At Crane, Gibbons directed the creation and revision of innovative new curricula, developed partnerships with industry leaders, and successfully acted as lead fundraiser for the school.

“We look forward to welcoming Will Gibbons to RPI,” said RPI Provost Rebecca Doerge, Ph.D. “The convergence of social sciences, the arts, technology, and the humanities in HASS creates a community of leaders and creators who uplift society. Will is joining us at an exciting time as we continue to celebrate RPI’s Bicentennial with some thrilling events in the months ahead.” 

“I am thrilled at this opportunity to join the team at HASS,” said Gibbons. “The humanities, arts, and social sciences are disciplines that explore essential questions — about who we are as individuals and groups, how we think and feel, what we value, and how our creative activity can improve the lives of those around us. Seeking answers to these questions is profoundly relevant to all of us, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue RPI’s incredible legacy of innovation, research, interdisciplinary, and creativity in these fields.”

In addition to dozens of books, articles, and chapters, Gibbons also co-edited the recent Oxford Handbook of Video Game Music and Sound (Oxford, 2024) as well as the essay collections Music in Video Games (Routledge, 2014) and Music in the Role-Playing Game (Routledge, 2020). His book Unlimited Replays: Video Games and Classical Music (Oxford, 2018) explores the relationship between games and the arts from the early arcade to the contemporary concert hall. 

A new co-edited volume with Brepols press, Global Histories of Video Game Music Technology (expected publication 2025), promises to break new ground by de-centering North America and highlighting previously unexplored game history, arts, and technology from many countries around the world. In high demand as a public speaker, Gibbons regularly delivers invited lectures, keynotes, and pre-concert talks at universities, conferences, and concert venues across the United States and Europe. 

Before SUNY Potsdam, Gibbons served as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Texas Christian University, where he oversaw undergraduate and graduate programs in art, dance, design, fashion, music, and theater, and directed an interdisciplinary program in arts leadership and entrepreneurship. 

Gibbons holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a B.A. in Music from Emory & Henry College.