David Vasseur, a professor and chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed the next head of Saybrook College, Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis announced in a message to the community today.
He will succeed Thomas Near, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who has been the head of Saybrook since 2015.
College heads serve as the chief administrative officer and presiding faculty member within the residential colleges, and help nurture the social, cultural, and educational life there, a role that has become a cherished Yale tradition.
In his research, Vasseur addresses foundational questions in ecology and evolutionary biology by examining how variation shapes the dynamics, persistence, and coexistence of species, Lewis wrote. Much as classical physics is grounded in theories governing mechanics and thermodynamics, ecology and evolutionary biology are guided by mathematical theory describing how biological systems change across scales — from individual organisms to entire ecosystems. Vasseur’s work seeks to understand how environmental variability, and variation among individuals and species, alters long-standing ecological paradigms.
He will begin a five-year term at Saybrook College on July 1.
“As the next head of college, I hope to learn about the many ways that students connect to the Saybrook community and to ensure those opportunities exist for the next generations of students,” Vasseur said.
Much of his research takes place in a virtual space, using mathematical models and computer simulations to recreate, experiment with, and forecast how ecological systems respond to warmer and more variable climates. His research group has demonstrated that increased environmental variation poses a greater risk to ecological systems than long-term warming alone, and that warming combined with heightened variability can produce synergistic negative effects.
“As a vital bridge between theory and the natural world, Professor Vasseur also conducts laboratory experiments using single-celled organisms, including ciliated protists and algae, constructing complex ecosystems under controlled conditions to test hypotheses about ecological responses to environmental change,” Lewis wrote.
Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis and Tom Near
In the classroom, Vasseur emphasizes ecology’s theoretical foundations and their relationship to real-world patterns and global challenges. Most recently, he has begun teaching in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology module of the introductory biology sequence (BIOL 1040), where he introduces students to the discipline of ecology and its relevance to pressing environmental questions. He values collaborative work and has also spent time abroad during sabbaticals in Germany and Switzerland earlier in his career.
Outside his academic work, Vasseur brings a strong interest in athletics and community engagement to residential college life.
“True to his Canadian roots, he is an avid hockey fan and enjoys participating in a wide range of sports,” Lewis wrote.
Earlier in his career, Vasseur and his wife, Chaundra Vasseur, served with the Canadian Ski Patrol, and after moving to Yale he spent many years coaching youth soccer in Hamden and serving on the executive board of the Hamden Soccer Association. More recently, he has taken up indoor rowing. When time allows, he enjoys cooking for friends and family and tinkering with woodworking and electronics.
Tom Near, Chaundra Vasseur, David Vasseur, and Allison Near
Joining Vasseur as associate head is Chaundra Vasseur, an elementary school educator with more than 25 years of experience. For the past eight years she has taught at St. Thomas’s Day School in New Haven, where she currently serves as fifth-grade head teacher. She holds degrees in Child Development and Education from the University of Guelph and Brock University, along with specialist certifications in Special Education and Teaching English as a Second Language. A Saybrook Fellow, she is passionate about teaching, travel, skiing, and supporting students and families as they navigate educational transitions.
Living with the Vasseurs in Saybrook College will be their son Greyson, a sophomore at Hamden Hall Country Day School, and their eight-year-old Australian Labradoodle, Cooper. Visiting regularly from college will be their son Matthew, a senior at Queen’s University, and their daughter Kaelin, a sophomore at McGill University, both of whom attended Hopkins School in New Haven.
In announcing David Vasseur’s appointment, Dean Lewis expressed gratitude to Thomas Near, the outgoing head of Saybrook College, and Alison Near, Saybrook’s associate head. “Their stewardship has strengthened the college’s sense of care, connection, and intellectual engagement, and I thank them warmly for their dedication,” Lewis wrote.
Lewis also thanked the members of the search advisory committee: Jonathan Grauer, professor of orthopaedics & rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine, who chaired the committee; Jenn Coughlan, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology; Andrea DaRif, Saybrook Executive Fellow; and Saybrook students Jonathan Akinniyi ’26, Maria Arozamena ’26, Mika Hiroi ’28, and Lucas Papamitsakis ’28.
