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The dean of the UA's engineering college is stepping down to take an administrative job with the National Science Foundation.

Thomas Peterson, who has led the University of Arizona's College of Engineering since 1998, will become the assistant director of the foundation's engineering research program in January, according to a news release from the government agency sent out Tuesday.

Known as the Directorate for Engineering, the program has a $640 million budget devoted to funding research, facilities and innovation in engineering. It also provides resources to working engineers and small firms to help them remain competitive in the global market, the news release said.

Peterson joined the UA faculty in 1977, working in chemical and environmental engineering. He later oversaw the merger of the two academic fields while serving as a department head.

Foundation officials selected Peterson because of his background and vision, the agency's director said in the release.

"His deep knowledge of university engineering research, history of creating collaborative programs on campus and commitment to engineering education will allow him to hit the ground running at NSF," Arden L. Bement Jr. said.

Peterson said in a UA news release that he was excited to begin his new endeavor.

"Both nationally and globally we face major problems. Energy sustainability and its impact on climate, for example, will only be solved technologically," he said. "Engineering must lead that effort, and the NSF plays an important role in supporting the research and educational mission of engineering in this country."

The foundation's news release didn't say how much Peterson would make at his new post, and attempts to contact an agency spokeswoman late Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Peterson made $231,112 as dean of the engineering college, UA salary records show.