
Schiller Institute leader
Laura J. Steinberg to step down
following nearly six years of service
Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society inaugural Seidner Family Executive Director Laura J. Steinberg has announced she will step down at the end of the semester after nearly six years of service and return to teaching and research.

Laura Steinberg
Steinberg, who holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, took the helm of the Schiller Institute in February 2020 and began hiring new faculty, engaging colleagues across campus, and developing a broad range of programming.
"Laura Steinberg arrived at Boston College in the early months of the pandemic and immediately got to work in building the Schiller Institute,” said Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “During that time, Laura has brought the founding vision for the Institute to life, in the process gathering together a lively community of faculty and students. I am grateful for her leadership and look forward to building on the strong foundation she has established."
Following a sabbatical in 2026, Steinberg said she looks forward to returning to the faculty and her research and teaching about problems at the intersection of environment, infrastructure, and society. “The time is right for me to renew my research on environmental issues and public policy," she said. "There’s a great need now for scholars to translate their work so that it can be understood and used beyond the academy.
“It’s been hugely satisfying to take the vision of an Institute devoted to collaboration and the study of energy, environment and health, and turn it into an actual operating organization,” she said. “I’m proud that we have offered programming, grants, classes, and support in ways that touch all the colleges of the University. The Institute has become embedded in the life of BC and has engaged hundreds of BC students, faculty, and staff.”
Under Steinberg, the Institute hired the first Institute Core Faculty: Institute Professor Jier Huang (with a joint appointment to Chemistry), Institute Professor of Climate Science and Society Yi Ming (Earth & Environmental Sciences), Institute Professor Edson Severnini (Economics), and Institute Professor of Global Sustainability Systems Hanqin Tian (EE&S).
In its academic role, the Institute helped launch the Global Public Health and the Common Good minor. Global Public Health added a major last year in partnership with the Connell School of Nursing. The Institute is also home to the Center for Earth System Science and Global Sustainability, directed by Tian.
Steinberg initiated Schiller Institute Grants for Exploratory Collaborative Scholarship (SI-GECS) and Grants for Research in Targeted & Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA) seed funding programs to support research by faculty throughout the University.
During the first four years, SI-GECS funded 43 projects with $1.4 million. During its first three years, SI-RITEA funded 20 projects with $600,000. Of the external funding applications that grew out of these grants, 39 proposals were awarded funding of $7 million from organizations including the National Science Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In an effort to connect the humanities with the sciences, the Schiller Institute has hosted symposia, seminars, social hours, and other events to bring together faculty from across the University, as well as programs to connect students with the work of the Institute and faculty. Lecture series have focused on topics including the impact of climate change on migration and ethics, and how climate change is covered in the media.
The Schiller Institute also helped manage the University’s involvement in the last four UN Climate Change Conferences. Another delegation will be going to COP30 in Brazil next month.
“We’ve built the Schiller Institute into a university-wide force aimed at fostering collaborative research and teaching,” said Steinberg. “Through the grant programs we’ve sponsored and the many ways we encourage interdisciplinary research and integrative thinking, the Institute has helped create a culture of innovation on campus. This energy, buoyed by the contributions of the Core Faculty, the Faculty Affiliates, and the Schiller staff, will no doubt translate into Boston College becoming an even greater player on the global stage, as scientists from around the world continue to search for solutions to ensure a healthy, flourishing planet.”
The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society is the centerpiece of a 150,000 square-foot science facility that opened in early 2022. Named in honor of BC Trustee Associate Phil Schiller ’82 and his wife Kim Gassett-Schiller through their multi-year lead gift, the Institute addresses critical issues in the areas of energy, health, and the environment.
The Seidner executive directorship was made possible through a gift from BC Trustee Marc Seidner ’88, chief investment officer for non-traditional strategies, and a managing director of Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO), and his family.
“I’m grateful to Phil and Kim Schiller for their support of the Institute, the Seidner family, and to Provost Quigley for creating an environment that has allowed the Institute to become a hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching at BC,” Steinberg said. “I’ll also be eternally grateful for the inspiration I've experienced from working with amazing, dedicated faculty at BC.