Hazel Sive, the dean of the College of Science, will resign from her position effective June 30, 2025, according to a Nov. 15 email to the college’s students and staff from the Office of the Provost.
Sive came to Northeastern in June 2020 as the dean of the College of Science and a professor of biology. Prior to joining Northeastern, Sive was a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 28 years as well as a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, according to her MIT science department profile.
Sive spent her time at Northeastern working toward her overarching vision of promoting “excellence through innovation in science in education and research,” Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David Madigan said in the email announcing her resignation.
“I came here to increase excellence in education and research in the College of Science and across Northeastern University through being very supportive and through taking very innovative approaches,” Sive said in an interview with The News. “Everything I’ve done is in that context.”
Sive has also worked to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in the College of Science through initiatives including the Student Diversity Advisory Council and the Principles of Community.
“There is a department dedicated to [equity, diversity, inclusion, justice] initiatives, so we are invited to participate in a book club in which we read more diverse books,” said Ana Otero, an associate teaching professor of biology at Northeastern.
In her time at Northeastern, Sive hired over 100 professors and worked to support them, Otero said. Professors have noticed her efforts.
“I think [the dean] does [support faculty and staff], and that’s one of the reasons why I came here,” Otero said. “I do feel supported academically, I feel supported in terms of resources, also in terms of pursuing interests.”
Much of Sive’s focus has also been on expanding opportunities for undergraduate research.
“Undergraduate research is so important for anyone, whether or not a student is thinking that they might want a research career, whether they’re pre-med or whether they just want to know how you find things out,” Sive said. “Actually getting into a research group and doing what I call ‘hands-in,’ putting your hands into understanding how you find a question to ask.”
In her time as dean, Sive led a huge shift in the doctoral program, creating the Connected Science Community Biology Ph.D. Program and introducing combined Ph.Ds., which enhanced professional opportunities for graduate students. Under her leadership, the College of Science saw a 200% increase in Master of Science enrollment, along with significant expansion of programs across Northeastern’s global campuses, according to Madigan’s email.
Sive also introduced co-op opportunities for all graduate students in the College of Science, initiated RampUp courses for first-year undergraduates and launched new entrepreneurship and research initiatives, all while expanding the College’s outreach to Boston Public School students through the Bridge to Science program.
The College of Science has also seen significant success in growing its global reputation in the last four years.
As the dean, Sive continued her pioneering research, earning recognition as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her work on embryonic brain and craniofacial development as well as for her leadership in higher education in 2022.
Sive will continue to be a professor of biology at Northeastern following the end of her tenure as dean while exploring next steps, she said.
“I have, for the last five years, devoted myself really, fully, 100% to being dean in the College of Science and to promoting excellence across education and research for everyone, and to building a very supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff,” Sive said. “It’s been my total commitment. I am deeply committed to the power of higher education, and now I will think where else I would like to put that commitment.”
Sive, a native of South Africa, received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and zoology from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as an honorary doctorate from Witwatersrand in 2022. Sive went on to earn her doctorate degree in molecular biology from The Rockefeller University in New York City. Sive contributes to Northeastern’s global efforts as chair of the Northeastern University Africa Global Initiative.
Madigan said the College of Science will follow the typical Northeastern protocol from the Faculty Handbook and form a search committee to begin looking for Sive’s successor.
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