Hazel Sive

Hazel Sive Ph.D. was the highly successful Dean of the Northeastern University College of Science from June 2020 – July 2025, and Professor of Biology. Following a long-standing commitment to public higher education, Dr. Sive will become Dean, College of Science and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston in August 2025. For twenty-nine years prior, she was Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. A native of South Africa, Dr. Sive received the B.Sc. from University of Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg and the Ph.D. from Rockefeller University, New York.

Dr. Sive is a research pioneer, award-winning educator, visionary and effective leader, and innovator in the higher education space. Dr. Sive’s groundbreaking research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as fundamental processes underlying brain and craniofacial development. She is a distinguished educator, a MacVicar Faculty Fellow, MIT’s highest teaching accolade and twice winner of the prestigious MIT School of Science Teaching Award. An accomplished leader, Dr. Sive was Associate Dean for the MIT School of Science; Founding Director of the MIT Jameel World Higher Education Lab; and Founding Director of the MIT-Africa Initiative. At Northeastern, Dr. Sive was Chair of the new Africa Global Initiative. Among other accolades, Dr. Sive was elected a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science.

As Dean of Science at Northeastern University, Dr. Sive promoted excellence through innovation in science research and education, amidst an overarching culture of belonging and respect. She introduced the “Good Power of Science” framework that commits to responsible research and to communicating the essential contributions science research makes to everyone. Dr. Sive is a collaborative and inclusive leader, with impressive outcomes in all goals proposed. She initiated academic programs that promote success of all students, greatly increased MS enrollment and added new programs. She led reinvention of the PhD with the groundbreaking Connected Science Community PhD that empowers each candidate to enter many careers. Dr. Sive made a large commitment to faculty and staff hiring. She catalyzed important cross-disciplinary research, increased funding and honorific awards, and promoted faculty mentoring programs. The College of Science Strategic Plan CONNECTIONS to the Future was written under Dr. Sive’s leadership.