Dear Dartmouth community,
I am delighted to announce that Santiago Schnell, the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame, will be Dartmouth’s next provost. His appointment takes effect July 1 and comes following a nationwide search.
A native of Venezuela, Santiago is a world-renowned mathematical biologist whose research helped reveal the crucial role enzymes play in health and disease. Since 2021, he has served as dean of the College of Science at Notre Dame where he is a professor of biological sciences and applied and computational mathematics and statistics.
As dean, Santiago helped develop talent pipelines for early-career scholars, promoted greater public understanding of science, led major fundraising initiatives, and established strategies to advance Notre Dame’s research strengths, including the study and care of rare diseases.
In short, Santiago is a brilliant, multidisciplinary scientist, a humanistic and humane thinker, and a talented administrator with deep experience of what it takes to lead a world-class research university.
The provost is Dartmouth’s chief academic and budget officer and a critical member of the senior leadership team. Santiago will oversee all of the graduate and professional schools, and he will have an integral role in shaping our new school of Arts and Sciences. He will also hold faculty appointments in mathematics and at the Geisel School of Medicine.
As I wrote last fall, I am profoundly grateful to Provost Dave Kotz, who will conclude his time as provost at the end of June—a term he graciously extended. Dave’s calm, steady leadership and his commitment to our teaching and research mission have served our community incredibly well. His support, partnership, and unmatched institutional knowledge were invaluable during the first two years of my presidency. I hope you will drop by the Irving Atrium on May 30 between 2-5 p.m. to celebrate and thank Dave for his service and accomplishments as provost.
I offer my sincere thanks to the advisory search committee as well—chaired by Brendan Nyhan, the James O. Freedman Presidential Professor—and to the many members of the Dartmouth community who submitted nominations and provided input on the search process.
Please join me in welcoming Santiago and his wife, Mariana, to the Dartmouth community and thanking Dave for his years of service.
With best wishes,
Sian Leah Beilock
President