The University of California's regents reached into the system's own fold last week to select the next leader of the nine-campus institution, naming Robert C. Dynes, chancellor of the San Diego campus, as the system's next president.

Mr. Dynes, who has led the San Diego campus for seven years, will take over as head of the university system when the current president, Richard C. Atkinson, retires in October. Mr. Dynes, 60, is a physicist and an expert on semiconductors who entered academe after more than two decades of working in research positions at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He has been at San Diego since 1991, where he began as a physics professor, then served as chairman of the physics department and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs before being named chancellor in 1996.

"I am overwhelmed, there is no doubt about it," Mr. Dynes told the regents after his selection was announced. "It's a profound honor and a genuine thrill."

The new president will be paid an annual salary of $395,000. In 2001-2, Mr. Dynes received $276,600 as San Diego's chancellor, and Mr. Atkinson was paid $356,100 as system president.

Mr. Atkinson has served as the university system's president since 1995 and, like Mr. Dynes, jumped to the position from the chancellor's job at San Diego. As president, Mr. Atkinson led the University of California through a series of revisions in its admissions policies, following a statewide ban on affirmative action. He almost single-handedly prompted changes in the SAT after proposing in 2001 that the university system drop the widely used standardized test as an admissions requirement.

"I could not be more pleased to have Bob Dynes succeed me as president," Mr. Atkinson said in prepared remarks. "He is a first-rate scholar, a highly capable manager, and a deeply compassionate individual."

Mr. Dynes takes over the university system as it faces significant state budget cuts and huge enrollment increases. The university's management of the national nuclear-weapons research laboratories in Los Alamos and Livermore also has recently been scrutinized by federal officials. In April, U.S. Energy Department officials opened up the management contract of Los Alamos for bids for the first time in the lab's history.

Mr. Dynes is already familiar with the issues facing the national laboratories, having served on a university council charged in January with overseeing interim management of the Los Alamos lab. He also has remained active in his own physics research while working as chancellor.

Last week, Mr. Dynes expressed resolve to preserve the quality of the university system during the budget and enrollment crunches it faces, forge even closer relationships with the California State University System and the state's community-college system than those that already exist, and make university research available to public consumers more quickly. He also said he wants to continue to help the University of California lead the way for other public universities in the nation as state institutions try to redefine how they deliver high-quality education.

A native of London, Ontario, and now a naturalized U.S. citizen, Mr. Dynes was the first in his family to attend college, receiving a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Western Ontario and master's and doctoral degrees in physics from McMaster University. He is married to Frances Dynes Hellman, a physics professor at the San Diego campus.

David Ward, president of the American Council on Education, called the selection of Mr. Dynes a "very astute choice." Like Mr. Atkinson, Mr. Dynes comes to the job with the experience of already having led one of the best research-university campuses in the nation, at San Diego, Mr. Ward said.

Marsha A. Chandler, senior vice chancellor at UC-San Diego, praised Mr. Dynes's leadership as chancellor, noting his efforts to increase diversity among faculty members and students, facilitate more interaction among campus departments, and encourage campus officials to take risks and try new ideas. "He has a clear vision, and that will remain on campus in his absence," Ms. Chandler said. "It's a vision of excellence, of ever seeking improvement."

Other higher-education officials in California said they are looking forward to working with Mr. Dynes in his new position. Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University System, said Mr. Dynes is "the kind of guy you'd like to have a glass of wine or drink a beer with. He's relaxed, he's easy to talk with, and he knows what he's doing."