Newly appointed leaders in the College of Science | Fall 2025
College of Science Dean Carmala Garzione has announced the following new leadership appointments in the College of Science for the 2025-2026 academic year. Please join us in welcoming the new department heads and directors.
College of Science Administration
Associate Dean, Research
Dr. Daniel Apai is stepping down from his role as associate dean for research in the College of Science. Apai has played a critical leadership role in advancing the College’s research mission over the past three years.
Dr. Pete Reiners
His contributions span the development of the research strategic plan, oversight of space and renovation projects, and support for faculty and research operations through challenging transitions. He is stepping away from administration so that he can focus his efforts on several major research projects that he leading, including the NASA Pandora SmallSat, the Nautilus mission concept, and the Alien Earths astrobiology initiative.
Dr. Pete Reiners will serve as interim associate dean, bringing his prior experience in this role as well as in the Office of Research, Innovation & Impact, where he served as interim associate vice president for research centers and institutes.
We thank Dr. Apai for his dedicated service and leadership, and welcome Dr. Reiners back to the College leadership team.
Cognitive Science
Dr. Vicky Lai
Dr. Vicky Lai is the new interim director of the Cognitive Science Program and an associate professor with a shared appointment in the Department of Psychology and the Cognitive Science Program. She joined the University of Arizona faculty in 2016.
A psycholinguist by training, Lai directs the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Laboratory. Her research examines how the brain processes figurative language, how language and emotion interact across the lifespan, and how bilingualism shapes perception and action. Her work is supported by the National Science Foundation and private foundations. She is an elected fellow of the Psychonomic Society and received the 2023 College of Science Distinguished Mentoring Award.
Lai has served in multiple campus roles, including chair of the Professional Development Committee in Psychology, a member of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee in the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program, and the Executive Committee in the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching program.
Her work has been featured on NPR’s Science Friday, the Grammar Girl podcast, and at the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking and swimming.
Geosciences
Dr. Paul Kapp
Dr. Paul Kapp is the new interim department head of Geosciences and a professor in the department. A proud alumnus, he earned his B.S. in Geosciences from the University of Arizona before completing his Ph.D. at UCLA. He joined the U of A faculty in 2002.
Kapp is a field-based geoscientist whose research focuses on the geological evolution of dynamic regions, including the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Chinese Loess Plateau, and western North America from Alaska to Mexico. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and recipient of its Outstanding Young Scientist Award (Donath Medal). He has authored more than 125 publications, including influential syntheses on Himalayan-Tibetan tectonics and wind-driven geomorphic processes in northern China.
Kapp co-advises the department’s undergraduate geology club—the same organization that first sparked his passion for Earth exploration. He is deeply committed to providing students with hands-on learning opportunities, from nearby day trips to international field expeditions.
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
Dr. Kevin Anchukaitis
Dr. Kevin Anchukaitis is the new director of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and a professor of dendrochronology in the School of Geography, Development, and Environment. He earned his Ph.D. in Geosciences from the University of Arizona in 2007 and returned to Tucson in 2015, following appointments at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.
Anchukaitis is a paleoclimatologist and dendroclimatologist whose research reconstructs past climate variability and environmental change using tree rings, geochemistry, climate modeling, and statistical methods. His work spans the American West, Mesoamerica, the Mediterranean, and Asia, exploring how climate impacts societies and ecosystems. In 2023, he received the Willi Dansgaard Award from the American Geophysical Union for his contributions to paleoceanography and paleoclimatology.
His research group, The Past Landscapes Lab, investigates variability in the climate system across timescales from extreme events to millennia, with fieldwork conducted from the tropics to the poles.
Outside of work, Anchukaitis enjoys cooking, travel, hiking, and exploring the landscapes of the western United States with his wife and their blue heeler cattle dog.
Psychology
Dr. Heidi Hamann
Dr. Heidi Hamann is the new department head of Psychology and a clinical professor. She previously served as the department’s associate head for strategic initiatives and holds a leadership role in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. She joined the University of Arizona faculty in 2015.
A clinical health psychologist by training, Hamann directs the Psychosocial Research in Oncology (PRO) Laboratory, where her research focuses on developing and testing interventions to improve quality of life among individuals diagnosed with cancer. Her work is supported by active grants from the National Cancer Institute and involves interdisciplinary and community-based approaches. Hamann serves on the steering committee of the Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine graduate minor, which supports students across the University of Arizona.
She earned her M.S. in Human Genetics from the University of Michigan, her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Utah, and completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral oncology at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the U of A, she was an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.