Stockli Chairs Department for Second Term

December 13, 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 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.” 

Stockli and Mora both felt it was important to have continuity in the department as a new dean takes the helm. But the main reason he agreed to stay on as chair is because it is 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 can 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.