Danny Stockli Chairs Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences for Second Term

September 19, 2025

Professor Danny Stockli, who has served as the chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences since 2021, has been reappointed to the position for another four years.

Jackson School Dean Claudia Mora said she asked Stockli to continue in his role as chair after he served a successful first term that involved a major overhaul of the undergraduate curriculum, the establishment of the new climate system science major, a name change for the department, and more financial independence in the unit’s administration.

“Danny really stepped up to this challenging position,” Mora said. “His leadership has been top-notch, and I often look to him for ideas in my own role. He has devoted himself to this job, and the department is all the better for it.”

Across the university and over the history of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, consecutive appointments have been common. But not so over the last 20 years, where most chairs served one term, Stockli said.

However, he and Mora both believe that continuity is important, especially as a new dean will take the helm next year. This is one of the reasons Stockli agreed to stay on as chair for another four years. But the main reason is that it is simply in his nature to see things through.

“I am not a person that likes to walk away from unfinished tasks, and there are major challenges that needed to be tackled,” Stockli said.

For example, while fundamental changes to the undergraduate curriculum have already been adopted, tweaks and additional changes will be an ongoing facet of the full implementation. The goal was to remove any rigid prerequisites and degree plans so that students have the ability to change their majors more easily, while also ensuring that they have the skills and foundational knowledge they’ll need for upper-level courses and a career in the geosciences.

“The new curriculum framework has given us the flexibility to make these adjustments more easily without waiting for new course catalogs. However, it will take two or three years to make sure things are fine-tuned,” Stockli said.

The department chair position is inherently different from the director roles at the Jackson School’s other units because the cornerstone of the operation is faculty governance. Building consensus and management often have to go hand-in-hand.

Over the remaining three years of his term, Stockli’s goal is to fine-tune the new curriculum, implement the department’s strategic research plans, and cement the department as an independent unit, financially.

“I want to make sure that when I hand this job over to the next person that it’s a more feasible job for them,” he said.