Denise Bruesewitz

As Colby’s chief academic officer, Provost and Clara C. Piper Professor of Environmental Studies Denise A. Bruesewitz oversees the academic program, stewarding the College’s academic vision and fostering the campus intellectual environment. Her office oversees the faculty, curriculum, support for research and student learning initiatives, and faculty governance. The Colby Libraries, Colby Arts Office, the Center for Arts and Humanities, the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs, the Colby Writing Program, the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Colby Labs, and the offices of off-campus study and registrar are responsible to the provost. Bruesewitz is an advocate for the transformative power of a liberal arts education and the value of interdisciplinary collaborations across disciplines and with community and regional partners. She is a biogeochemist and ecosystem ecologist with a focus on freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems. She earned her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Notre Dame and had postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and New Zealand’s University of Waikato before arriving at Colby in 2012.

Education

• Research Associate, University of Texas Marine Science Institute Postdoctoral Researcher
• University of Waikato, New Zealand Ph.D. in Biological Sciences
• University of Notre Dame B.S. in Biology/Ecology
• Winona State University, Winona MN

Areas of Expertise

• Aquatic Ecology
• Biogeochemistry
• Ecosystem Ecology
• Limnology
• Stream Ecology
• Nutrient Cycling
• Communicating Science
• Coastal Systems