MMUF PhD Sean Decatur Named Next President of American Museum of Natural History

December 07, 2022

MMUF PhD Sean Decatur, the first MMUF fellow to become a college president, has now been named the next president of New York City's American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Decatur became president of Kenyon College in 2013; he will step down from that role and assume the presidency of the Museum in April 2023, becoming its first Black leader. He was originally selected as an MMUF fellow at Swarthmore College, and later earned his PhD in biophysical chemistry from Stanford University. Of the Museum appointment, he notes, “There is a lot that translates from higher education to the cultural world, but there are also going to be a lot of new things to learn, both about this type of institution and about the museum in particular. I’m excited to get started.”