BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
3
SEPTEMBER
2014
their first presentation experiences at Biophysi-
cal Society meetings.” Many of his students have
gone on to pursue PhDs in scientific fields, but
not only undergrads have benefitted from Deca-
tur’s mentorship. Petty shares, “Working in Sean’s
lab was the single most important experience in
my life. He gave me the freedom to plan my own
experiments and make my own decisions, while
always being there with suggestions and guidance.
He allowed me to grow as a teacher as well, which
is something not many people are able to do as a
postdoctoral researcher.”
Given his dedication to undergraduate students,
Decatur has enjoyed the transition to administra-
tion. He served as Dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences at Oberlin College for five years before
accepting the presidency of Kenyon College in
July 2013. In many ways, his work as a dean and
then college president has been a departure from
his career in teaching and research, but his back-
ground in biophysics has been beneficial in this
new endeavor. Decatur explains, “The fundamen-
tal activities in biophysics—collaborating across
and connecting with different disciplines, integrat-
ing different types of data and information to ad-
dress a complex question, and experimenting with
new approaches or ideas—have all served me well
in my work in academic administration.” His new
position has also given him the opportunity to
advocate for science as an essential part of a liberal
arts education. He says, “Too often, the phrase
‘liberal arts’ becomes shorthand for humanities.
Two essential components to a liberal education
are developing an understanding of the natural
and physical world and practicing experimental/
scientific methods for gathering information and
constructing knowledge systems. The study of
biophysics helps with both of these.”
Decatur has created for himself a supportive com-
munity of biophysicists. Many years after men-
toring Decatur at Stanford, Boxer is still there to
cheer him on. Boxer says, “Sean is a remarkable
scientist and human being. He is thoughtful, en-
gaged in everything, tireless, and has a big picture
view of science and human activities. It was a great
thrill to attend his inauguration as the President
of Kenyon College.” Decatur has carried on this
tradition of encouragement with his own protégés.
Petty recounts, “He would always make time to
talk to me and his students about our future plans
and dreams and would help us to make them a re-
ality. And, in spite of his incredibly busy schedule,
he continues to make time to celebrate our suc-
cesses: in 2012, he made the long trip from Ohio
to give a celebratory seminar at Holy Cross when I
was awarded tenure.”
Decatur says, “I am enjoying life as a college
president. I want to focus on leading Kenyon,
advocat[ing] for undergraduate science educa-
tion, improving access to science careers to groups
historically underrepresented in the sciences, and
bolstering the public understanding of science; I
hope that my position as a college president will
continue to provide platforms for this advocacy
and opportunities to advance the national dialogue
on these issues.”
When Decatur is away from his post at Kenyon,
he spends as much time as possible with his fam-
ily, and also enjoys running, cycling, and watching
sports. He says, “I grew up in Cleveland, which
means that sports teams are typically disappoint-
ments. But I am eternally optimistic about every-
thing. This could be the season!”
Biophysicists just starting out in their careers, De-
catur says, should “choose problems that you find
interesting; take advantage of any opportunities to
learn new techniques; be willing to take risks on
ambitious projects; enjoy the work; and take time
to think about how cool some of the experiments
and results are.”
Profilee at-a Glance
Sean Decatur
Institution
Kenyon College
Course of Study
Biophysical Chemistry
“
Too often, the phrase ‘liberal arts’
becomes shorthand for humanities.
Two essential components to a liberal
education are developing an under-
standing of the natural and physical
world and practicing experimental/
scientific methods for gathering infor-
mation and constructing knowledge
systems.
“
–
Sean Decatur
