Colleen Kearns

Colleen Kearns has spent most of her career at Cornell University, first as a scientist and in the last decade, as an advisor and undergraduate program director. Colleen earned her B.S. in Horticulture from Penn State University. Then during her 23 years of Cornell research, she worked in the plant sciences, aquatic ecology and evolutionary biology. The most memorable days of her research career were spent in the field studying how organisms respond to their environment.

Colleen left the lab in 2011 to join the Office of Undergraduate Biology as the associate director of undergraduate research, where she supported the undergraduate research community and advised students on academics and career. In 2018 she became the E&S program manager to help launch the cross-college E&S major. Colleen coordinates the E&S honors program, continues to advise students, and works closely with E&S faculty to support curriculum development. She is committed to providing students with the 21st century skills they need to address the critical issues of our time, which include climate change and environmental justice.