Steven A. Corcelli, Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Studies and Faculty Development, will be the next chair of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame. He will take over the role from Brian Baker, Coleman Professor of Life Sciences, on July 1, 2022. On succeeding Baker, Corcelli asked that everyone “join me in thanking Professor Baker for his six years of superb and selfless leadership of the department. Also, on a personal note, I am grateful to Brian for being a great mentor and friend.”
About his new role, Corcelli stated: “It’s an honor to be named chair, and I am thrilled to move the department forward in service of our ambition to enhance our research reputation while sustaining an unparalleled commitment to education and training. We have outstanding faculty, staff, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, and I hope to nurture an inclusive environment of excellence to help us meet both our individual and collective goals.”
In his current role as Associate Dean, Corcelli oversees faculty searches for interdisciplinary programs and faculty development. He serves as a Provost Fellow chairing task forces on graduate student well-being, mentoring, and bullying. Corcelli also has been actively involved in the American Chemical Society Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholars Advisory Board (previously the Graduate Education Advisory Board) since 2012, working to improve graduate and postdoctoral training for chemists and biochemists across the country.
Corcelli is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and the recipient of numerous awards including the Camille & Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Sloan Research Fellowship, the Kavli Fellowship, the Notre Dame Director of Graduate Studies Award, and multiple Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C, Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Corcelli earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Brown University and his doctoral degree in chemistry from Yale University. After completing a postdoctoral position at the University of Wisconsin, Corcelli joined the faculty at Notre Dame in 2005. Prior to his role as Associate Dean, he served as the department’s Director of Graduate Studies from 2012-2016 and Associate Chair from 2016-2019. Corcelli’s research on theoretical and computational studies of biomolecular structures and dynamics has resulted in over 80 publications and the training of 3 postdoctoral researchers, 23 graduate students, and 24 undergraduate researchers.