Huettel to Lead Social Sciences Division
Senior Associate Dean for Research Scott Huettel will serve as Dean of Social Sciences beginning July 1, Dean Gary Bennett announced Thursday. Huettel, a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and former chair of the department, will step into this role after serving as Trinity’s inaugural Senior Associate Dean for Research and follows Kerry Haynie, who has led the Social Sciences Division as dean for the past four years.
In sharing the announcement, Bennett expressed his excitement about Huettel’s appointment and his gratitude to Haynie, a professor of Political Science who served as chair of the department and led Duke’s Academic Council from 2019 to 2021 before being appointed divisional dean in 2022. Haynie will return to the faculty at the conclusion of his term.
“We’re fortunate to have inspiring leaders like Scott and Kerry within our community, to have individuals whose vision, dedication and impact embody the very best of Duke and Trinity,” Bennett said. “Please join me in thanking Kerry for his leadership and in supporting Scott as he steps into this role.”
A Duke faculty member since 2002, Huettel is a Bass Fellow with secondary appointments in Neurobiology and in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. His work has consistently bridged disciplines, and he brings a clear understanding of both the opportunities and challenges facing Trinity’s research enterprise. He recently led the Trinity Curriculum Development Committee, and his work in that role contributed immensely to the success the Arts & Sciences Curriculum in its first year.
In addition to his experience as an outstanding and highly productive researcher and an award-winning teacher and mentor, Huettel — who holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Duke — has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities for Trinity’s research endeavors and a history of effective collaboration across departments and divisions, Bennett said.
As the inaugural head of research for Trinity, Huettel has provided strategic leadership to enhance Trinity’s research enterprise, focusing on ways to support faculty and provide more opportunities for students to engage in research. During a time when much of the research landscape in higher education has been changing, Huettel has supported faculty by helping ensure they have the tools they need to succeed. Through the new Year One Program, Huettel helped cultivate community among new junior scholars while connecting them to the resources within and outside of Trinity that are critical to launching their research and scholarship effectively.
Bennett noted that Huettel will benefit from the tremendous work Haynie has accomplished during his time as divisional dean. Haynie is a renowned scholar whose work examines how political institutions shape the ability of African Americans and women to influence the political system.
As divisional dean, he has brought deep institutional knowledge and steady leadership at a time of considerable change, strengthening the division’s foundation and positioning it well for the future. During Haynie's term, the division has welcomed exceptionally promising cohorts of early-career faculty while also retaining outstanding senior faculty. Our social sciences departments continue to be world leaders in the production of knowledge and scientific discoveries that help us understand and fashion solutions to a multitude of human and societal conditions like inequality, economic deprivation, polarization, climate change, and general human well-being.
The Division of Social Sciences includes 11 departments and programs, two certificate programs, and affiliations with 15 centers, institutes, and schools. With 20 majors, 16 minors, and more than 200 faculty members, the division’s highly-ranked departments utilize both quantitative scientific and interpretive humanistic methodologies to study diverse patterns of human behavior, social structures, and cultural change, producing research that serves society.
