Professor Knoesen serves as the Chair of the UC Davis Academic Senate, a governing body that interacts extensively with the Policy & Practices Review Initiative during formal consultation processes for suggested policy changes to facilitate institutional transformation. His research interests as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (1987 – present) lie in several areas: optics; electromagnetics and electronics relating to applications of structured supramolecular functional composite materials; and intersection of these topics with the life sciences. Professor Knoesen specific research interests include the development and application of electrooptic polymers, biosensor materials, and self‐organizing biomaterials, such as protein structures.