Head of College Mark Saltzman
The Head of College is Mark Saltzman. In his role as chief administrative officer, he sets the college’s intellectual and cultural tone, just as he is responsible for students’ physical safety and well-being. Together with the Associate Head of College, Christina Pavlak, he oversees and cultivates the college’s social life, hosting study breaks, Master’s Teas, trips, and other events. The Head of College and Associate Head of College live in the college, in the JE House, where many events are coordinated.
Goizueta Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical & Environmental Engineering & Physiology
W. Mark Saltzman is an engineer and educator. His research has impacted the fields of drug delivery, biomaterials, nanobiotechnology, and tissue engineering. This work is described in more than 350 research papers and patents. He is also the sole author of three textbooks: Biomedical Engineering, Tissue Engineering, and Drug Delivery. During more than 35 years leading independent research programs at Johns Hopkins, Cornell, and Yale, he has introduced mathematical models for guiding the design of drug delivery systems, developed new methods for drug delivery to brain tumors, produced the first controlled delivery systems for nerve growth factors, the first delivery systems for long-term protection against STDs using antibodies, and new materials for delivery of DNA and RNA. In the course of this work, he has been the primary mentor for dozens of undergraduate students, 43 doctoral students, and 27 postdoctoral associates; many of these scholars are now leading their own independent research programs at universities. Prof. Saltzman is an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine and the US National Academy of Engineering.
Prof. Saltzman graduated from Iowa State University with a BS in chemical engineering and received MS and PhD degrees in chemical engineering and medical engineering from MIT. He was appointed the Goizueta Foundation Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Yale in 2002. He was the founding chair of Yale’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and served in that role for 12 years. From 2016-2022, he was the Head of College at JE, and he returned to that role in 2025.
Among the many pleasures of his life in JE, Head Saltzman enjoys the beautiful grounds and architecture, the rich community of learners, and the kindness of the staff. He is always happy to receive email messages from students, and to meet them in the dining hall, courtyard, or office hours.
Head of College Office Staff
Gygi Jennings
Assistant Director of Operations
203-432-8839
gygi.jennings@yale.edu
Nicole Wade
Sr. Administrative Asst. II
Head of College Office
203-432-0380
nicole.wade@yale.edu
Shannon Terebesi
Residential College Service Asst II
shannon.terebesi@yale.edu