Leadership
Our leaders believe Dartmouth’s impact on the world is extended through interdisciplinary expertise. Faculty teams collaborate at the leading edge of discovery and give students uncommon access to new ideas around the globe through coursework and research opportunities.
Philip J. Hanlon ’77, President
Philip J. Hanlon ’77 became Dartmouth’s 18th president on June 10, 2013. He is the 10th Dartmouth alumnus to serve as its president.
As president, Hanlon has championed academic excellence and encouraged innovation in scholarship and teaching. He has launched initiatives to build interdisciplinary strength around global challenges, expanded opportunities for experiential learning, and initiated new seed funding programs to support cutting-edge research and creative endeavors. He launched the Irving Institute for Energy and Society, established the DEN Innovation and New Venture Incubator (now known as the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship), and is leading the expansion of the Thayer School of Engineering. He also created the Society of Fellows, an interdisciplinary community of post-doctoral scholars dedicated to the integration of research and teaching.
David Kotz ’86, Provost
David Kotz ’86, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor in Computer Science, was appointed provost on Jan. 31, 2022. He had served as interim provost since July 2021. He earned his PhD from Duke University in 1991, and his research interests include security and privacy in smart homes, pervasive computing for health care, and wireless networks. As Dartmouth’s chief academic and fiscal officer, the provost reports to the president and is charged with elevating the academic profile of the institution. In consultation with the academic deans, the provost supports and advances teaching and scholarship as well as all student-related programs.
Scott C. Brown, Dean of the College
Scott C. Brown is the senior officer responsible for undergraduate academic and co-curricular life. He oversees the Student Affairs division, which includes Student Academic Support Services; Residential Life and the house communities; health and wellness; student life; community life programs that provide cultural and spiritual support; and the Center for Professional Development. He has worked for nearly three decades in university student affairs at Northern Arizona University, The College of Wooster, Colgate University, Mount Holyoke College, and at Dartmouth earlier in his career. Brown serves on the president’s and provost’s leadership teams.
Elizabeth F. Smith, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Elizabeth F. Smith, the Paul M. Dauten Jr. Professor of Biological Sciences, has served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences since 2017. She leads Dartmouth’s largest academic unit, overseeing its educational policies, curriculum, and all matters relating to the effectiveness, development, and wellbeing of more than 600 faculty members. Smith was previously associate dean of the sciences and has also served as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. An accomplished research scientist, she has published papers in leading journals and received grant support from institutions including the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the March of Dimes Foundation.
Alexis R. Abramson, Dean of Thayer School of Engineering
Alexis Abramson is the 13th dean of Thayer School. Prior to joining Dartmouth, she was the Milton and Tamar Maltz Professor of Energy Innovation at Case Western Reserve University and served as a director of the university’s Great Lakes Energy Institute focused on creating sustainable energy technology solutions. During the Obama administration, Abramson served as chief scientist and manager of the Emerging Technologies Division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program. In 2018, she served as technical adviser for Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a $1 billion effort launched by Bill Gates to combat human-driven climate change. As a leader in sustainable energy technology and advanced energy research, Abramson has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications.
Duane A. Compton, Dean of the Geisel School of Medicine
Duane Compton is both dean of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and the senior associate dean for research and a professor of biochemistry. He received his PhD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1988, and completed his postdoctoral training in the field of cell biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Compton joined the faculty in 1993, and is a leader in graduate and medical student education and a distinguished National Institutes of Health-funded researcher.
F. Jon Kull ’88, Dean of the Guarini School of Graduate & Advanced Studies
F. Jon Kull, the Rodgers Professor of Chemistry, who uses biophysical techniques to study protein structure and function, was appointed dean of graduate studies in 2012. He oversaw the transition from a graduate program to the creation of the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies in 2016. Two years later, in 2018, the school received a naming gift from former New Jersey congressman and U.S. representative to the United Nations Frank J. Guarini ’46.
Matthew J. Slaughter, Dean of the Tuck School of Business
Matthew J. Slaughter is the Paul Danos Dean of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he is also the Earl C. Daum 1924 Professor of International Business. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a member of the academic advisory board of the International Tax Policy Forum, and an academic advisor to the McKinsey Global Institute.