Seton Hill University President Mary C. Finger has announced the appointment of Demetra Chengelis Czegan, Ph.D., associate professor of Chemistry, as Dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences. Her appointment was effective July 1, 2019.

Dr. Czegan’s appointment comes as Bernadette Fondy, Ph.D. retires from Seton Hill University after more than 40 years of service as a faculty member and administrator.  

“Demetra Czegan is a tremendous educator who inspires her students in the classroom and the laboratory,” Finger said. “Her encouragement of undergraduate student research both on our campus and at research facilities throughout the world provides Seton Hill students with outstanding real-world opportunities. All of us at Seton Hill look forward to Demetra’s leadership in the School of Natural and Health Sciences.”

“It is an honor to be named Dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences at Seton Hill, my alma mater,” Dr. Czegan said. “I look forward to continuing to collaborate with my faculty colleagues in the School to innovate and advance all of our programs to best serve the future scientists and healthcare professionals we educate.”

Demetra Chengelis Czegan joined the faculty of Seton Hill in 2009 and most recently served as chair of the Department of Chemistry. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Seton Hill with dual majors of Chemistry and Art History, and both her Master’s and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Czegan has been published in several journals, including the Journal of Chemical Education, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Chemical Communications and the ACS Symposium Series. Her research has focused on the spectroscopic analysis of lanthanides, the series of 15 metallic elements known as rare earth elements. She has also published and presented on integrating mission and the liberal arts into the chemistry curriculum.

She is the co-holder of two patents resulting from research she conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and received Pitt’s Safford Award for Excellence as a Graduate Student Teacher.

Dr. Czegan is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and serves as the Seton Hill liaison to the Women Chemists Committee of the Greater Pittsburgh Area ACS. She is also a member of the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh.