New Dean of Research for the School of Arts and Sciences

Dear Colleagues,
 
I am delighted to announce that Danilo Marchesini, the Leonard and Jane Holmes Bernstein Professor and Chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will become the next Dean of Research for the School of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2025. Danilo will be stepping down from his department chairship to take on this half-time role in the A&S Dean’s Office, where he will be taking over from Dean Ayanna Thomas. Dean Sam Thomas and I will be reaching out to the Department of Physics and Astronomy regarding the search for and appointment of a new chair.
 
Given his demonstrated excellence in research, his years of experience supporting graduate student research as both a doctoral advisor and Director of Graduate Studies, and his vision for the future of research across the school, I am excited for Danilo to take on this position. As Dean of Research, Danilo will play a pivotal role in continuing to advance our school’s excellence in research, supervise the Research Administration team, and serve as a co-lead of the Research and Scholarship Working Group of the school’s Strategic Plan. 
 
In his role as Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Danilo investigates how galaxies have formed and evolved following the Big Bang and how their properties change as a function of cosmic time. Danilo came to Tufts in 2009 as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to the role of Associate Professor in 2015 and Professor in 2020. Since 2023 Danilo has served as Chair of his department and he was also the Director of Graduate Studies for a number of years. Recently he was awarded the Leonard and James Holmes Bernstein Professorship, which honors faculty working to find the answers to fundamental questions regarding the cosmos and life within the cosmos.  
 
Danilo received his PhD in Astrophysics from Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy and was a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University before coming to Tufts. His research aims to uncover how a galaxy population seen at one epoch will evolve at a later epoch, and what physical processes are responsible for the inferred changes in the galaxies' properties. Danilo analyzes statistical studies of galaxy populations at different cosmic times and examines detailed studies of individual galaxies to robustly derive their properties. His many scholarly accomplishments include the 2013 Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, which recognizes outstanding teacher-scholars for the quality of their research program, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Invitational’s 2019 Fellowship for Research. Danilo has secured ∼$5.5M (Tufts share) in grants since starting at Tufts and currently has approximately $1.4M (Tufts share) in active grants. 
 
I would also like to thank Ayanna Thomas, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), for her dedication and expert leadership while serving as Dean of Research since September 2021. She will also have generously occupied both roles (GSAS Dean and Dean of Research) for five months--no small feat! I also thank the A&S Advisory Committee, who provided helpful input on the nominations I received for this important position, as well as the interview participants for their time and thoughtful feedback on the candidates.
 
I am delighted to welcome Danilo into our leadership team! Please join me in congratulating Danilo in his new role. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Bárbara M. Brizuela
Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences