Provost Santiago Schnell today named three professors as inaugural Provost Leadership Fellows, a signature initiative to empower Dartmouth faculty to contribute to institution-wide academic strategy, policy, and innovation.
The Provost Leadership Fellows—Nathaniel Dominy, Roopika Risam, and Jonathan Smolin—will work closely with vice provosts in the Office of the Provost on high-impact projects that advance Dartmouth’s scholarly and operational mission. Their terms will vary from one to three years.
“The Provost Leadership Fellows program creates a way for faculty to bring their scholarly expertise and judgment directly to questions of institutional importance. Faculty understand Dartmouth’s academic mission best, and their perspectives should help shape how we strengthen that mission and respond to new opportunities,” says Schnell. “The vice provosts will also be outstanding mentors to these talented professors.”
The fellows serve as both contributors and catalysts—helping to shape institutional initiatives while bringing back insights and momentum to their home departments.
“Our faculty at Dartmouth are excellent at both teaching and scholarship, which contributes to the unique academic community we have here,” says Nina Pavcnik, dean of Arts and Sciences. “These new academic initiatives will benefit from the expertise, creativity, and professional networks of our faculty, and I look forward to seeing how these fellows shape Dartmouth through their roles.”
International scholarly partnerships
As part of his fellowship, Nathaniel Dominy, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology, will help expand Dartmouth’s global scholarly engagement and strengthen opportunities for faculty recognition. A biological anthropologist with field experience in Africa and recent graduate of the Faculty Advancement Network Institute’s Ivy+ Provost Leadership Fellows program, Dominy brings broad academic leadership and an international perspective to the role.
“Nate exemplifies what the program is designed to cultivate: a distinguished scholar, accomplished academic leader, and trusted international collaborator,” says Dean Lacy, vice provost for faculty affairs, to whom Dominy will report. “His work will deepen Dartmouth’s global partnerships, attract outstanding scholars to our campus, and elevate the visibility and influence of our faculty.”
Dominy will help recruit distinguished international scholars for visiting appointments and help coordinate scholarly partnerships with universities in Africa and East Asia. In addition, Dominy will chair Dartmouth’s committee supporting nominations for Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
“My goal is to bring an anthropological perspective to our global strategy, while deepening partnerships, and championing faculty excellence through the AAAS Fellows process,” says Dominy. “I am excited to expand our international visibility and highlight the vibrant, world‑changing work of our community.”
Artificial intelligence
Roopika Risam, professor and chair of the Department of Film and Media Studies, will focus her fellowship work on developing Dartmouth’s Artificial Intelligence strategy. Risam is also a member of the Academic Cluster on Digital Humanities and Social Engagement. A scholar of the relationships between data and power, she recently published Data Empire and received a three-year Mellon Ivy+ Praxis Fellowship to pursue her work on AI in the academy.
Risam will provide critical faculty guidance and perspective as Dartmouth develops its approach to AI in teaching, learning, and research. In this role, she will build on the work of Jed Dobson, who served as Special Advisor on AI, and on last year’s Faculty Leadership Group on AI, where she led the working group on pedagogy.
Risam will report to Dean Madden, vice provost for research, who notes that “her familiarity with the technical, historical, and humanistic aspects of AI will ensure that Dartmouth’s approach reflects its commitment to the liberal arts in research, scholarship, creativity, and teaching.”
“I am excited about the opportunity to help Dartmouth define for the world what an approach to AI in higher education grounded in disciplinary knowledge, critical inquiry, ethical and socio-political awareness, and responsible agency looks like,” says Risam.
Global engagement strategy
Jonathan Smolin, professor of Middle Eastern studies and the founding director of the Dartmouth Initiative for Middle East Exchange, or DIMEX, will build on the DIMEX model to expand an institutional strategy for global engagement across Dartmouth.
“I’m particularly looking forward to helping shape a more integrated approach to Dartmouth’s global engagement, one that brings together faculty research, experiential learning, international partnerships, alumni, and advancement in ways that will further strengthen Dartmouth’s impact around the world,” says Smolin.
Working closely with Barbara Will, vice provost for academic and international affairs, Smolin will focus on a framework that brings together faculty-driven research collaborations, experiential learning, and alumni engagement while also strengthening the operational infrastructure that supports these programs. As part of his fellowship, Smolin will be an important voice in developing Dartmouth’s evolving identity as a global institution as it aligns its academic strengths and external partnerships.
“Jonathan brings the necessary background and expertise in international engagement and cultural and linguistic awareness to help position Dartmouth as a global academic leader at a time when such leadership is sorely needed,” says Will.
The Provost Leadership Fellows program is open to faculty across Dartmouth. Applications for the next cohort will open in early 2027.
