OUR STAFF

DENIN has a highly experienced team that can help researchers and community partners develop and manage large, interdisciplinary grants. We provide services throughout the grant application and implementation process.

 

Holly Michael

HOLLY MICHAEL

Director, Delaware Environmental Institute

Professor, Earth Sciences

 Professor, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering

Unidel Fraser Russell Career Development Chair for the Environment

hmichael@udel.edu

302-831-4197

Holly has been working on coastal water resources and ecosystems for over 20 years. She currently leads a National Science Foundation project to investigate this serious coastal challenge with regional colleagues from the Critical Zone Collaborative Network (CZNet), including researchers from the University of Delaware, University of Maryland, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, George Washington University and Boston University. 
TRACY MCMULLEN

TRACY MCMULLEN

Associate Director, Business Operations

tracymc@udel.edu

302-831-8153

MATTHEW HENDERSON

Program Coordinator, Communications and Education

matthend@udel.edu

302-831-2051

SAM CLEM

SAM CLEM

Associate Director, Diversity, Education, and Outreach

CHERIE CONRAD

CHERIE CONRAD

Program Coordinator

cconrad@udel.edu

302-831-6163

Leading the Way

Holly Michael
Holly Michael, DENIN Director, Professor & Unidel Fraser Russell Career Development Chair for the Environment

There are so many challenges facing our environment — what do you feel DENIN is uniquely positioned to take on?

“A major strength of institutes like DENIN is the ability to draw together and coordinate interdisciplinary teams to take on issues critical to society. Most environmental problems cannot be addressed from only one angle. They are often “wicked” problems that require not only technological solutions, but trade-offs among sectors, societal buy-in, and policies for implementation. For example, Delaware is uniquely vulnerable to coastal hazards, and promoting sustainability and resilience will require efforts across engineering, natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. Among our affiliates are some of the world experts in coastal processes and resilience across all of these disciplines, so we as a community are well-poised to address it. DENIN can facilitate researchers, educators and stakeholders in taking a coupled natural-human systems approach to promoting coastal resilience and solving other similarly complex environmental problems.”

What goals do you have for the institute?

“My primary goal is to broaden participation within DENIN by engaging new faculty and new disciplines, strengthening partnerships, and catalyzing new research areas. I will seek to increase the national and global visibility of environmental research and interdisciplinary academic programs. I also will work toward broadening funding support to expand the activities that DENIN supports.”

What are some of the first tasks/challenges/opportunities you plan to address?

“As director, my first priority is to develop a strategic vision that builds on past successes, welcomes new participants and ideas, and creates new opportunities and partnerships both within and outside of UD. I plan to reach out to the community for input to this vision, and I hope to hear opinions and ideas from everyone. If you are not affiliated with DENIN but would like to be, especially new faculty, please reach out to me, as I would love to get you involved.”