Centennial Speaker Series: Holden Thorp

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“Doing Science in Times of Turmoil: Why it’s Never Been Important to Keep Going and Nail the Details”

Join The Graduate School for a special guest lecture with Holden Thorp, former Chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, for a talk about perseverance and attention to detail in science.

This event is hosted as part of The Graduate School's Centennial Speaker Series.

About our speaker

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Holden Thorp is editor-in-chief of the Science family of journals, a position he has held since October 2019. His senior leadership roles spanned two major research universities: he was the tenth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2008 to 2013, and provost at Washington University in St. Louis from 2013 to 2019. 

Dr. Thorp is currently a professor of chemistry at George Washington University. His higher-education writing with Buck Goldstein includes the books Engines of Innovation: The Entrepreneurial University in the Twenty-First Century and Our Higher Calling: Rebuilding the Partnership Between America and Its Colleges and Universities. 

In February 2025, he participated in a Duke Academic Council meeting, where he was the guest of honor for a conversation on challenges facing higher education. 

Dr. Thorp has a B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in chemistry from California Institute of Technology.

About the Event

"Doing Science in Times of Turmoil: Why it’s Never Been Important to Keep Going and Nail the Details"  | Holden Thorp | 4–5 p.m.

Optional cocktail reception and networking opportunity to follow | 5–6 p.m.

Registration is required to attend. Please use this form to register by Monday, November 2.