Santiago Schnell, dean of Notre Dame’s College of Science, appointed as provost of Dartmouth
Santiago Schnell, the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame, has accepted an appointment as provost at Dartmouth. He will depart Notre Dame at the end of June and begin his new role in July.
“This news is bittersweet,” said John T. McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of Notre Dame. “While we heartily congratulate Santiago on being selected as the next provost at Dartmouth, we are also sorry to see him go. He has been a superb colleague and collaborator, a visionary leader for the College of Science and a true champion for advancing Notre Dame and its mission as the leading global Catholic research university. We thank him for his service and wish him every success in his new role.”
Schnell, who has served as dean since 2021, led the College of Science in advancing its research enterprise, strengthening undergraduate and graduate education and deepening public engagement and international partnerships.
A renowned mathematical biologist, Schnell has also served as scientific director of Notre Dame’s Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare Diseases and holds tenured appointments in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics. He is a member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Society of Biology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society for Mathematical Biology, the Latin American Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Medicine.
Among his many accomplishments as dean, Schnell co-launched the Bioengineering & Life Sciences (BELS) Initiative with College of Engineering Dean Patricia Culligan, expanded Notre Dame’s long-standing leadership in rare disease research and advocacy and built robust interdisciplinary collaborations across departments and with international partners, notably forging a partnership with the University of Oxford’s Doctoral Training Centre.
Under Schnell’s tenure, the College of Science significantly expanded graduate and postdoctoral programs, establishing the Society of Science Fellows to attract top postdoctoral talent and implementing new initiatives to enhance professional development and career preparation. He also strengthened undergraduate science education, including creating the nation’s first minor in rare disease patient advocacy and growing research opportunities for students across all scientific disciplines.
Schnell placed particular emphasis on public science engagement, creating new platforms for sharing Notre Dame’s research with broader audiences and elevating the college’s national and global visibility. He established the first professorship for the public understanding of science in the U.S., created the College of Science’s Christmas Lecture series and inaugurated the Rev. Carrier Medal, an international accolade recognizing excellence in science.
“Our work in the College of Science has been animated by a simple but profound ideal: ‘Spes in Caelis, Pes in Terris’ — Hope in Heaven, Feet on Earth,” Schnell said. “It has been a privilege to imagine boldly, act humbly and pursue science in service of society and discovery. Though I step away from the Dome, my heart will forever love thee, Notre Dame.”
An interim dean for the College of Science will be appointed for the 2025-26 academic year. The University will convene a search committee as outlined in the Academic Articles and will work with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to lead an international search for a new dean.
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