Holden Thorp — a chemist, pharmaceutical executive and editor-in-chief at the journal Science — will serve as speaker for Pitt’s 2024 winter commencement, which is at 3 p.m. Dec. 18 in the Petersen Events Center.
Thorp became editor of the Science family of journals in October 2019. Previously, he was provost and a professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently on leave from George Washington University to serve with Science.
He previously spent three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as the 10th chancellor from 2008 through 2013.
He co-founded Viamet Pharmaceuticals and is a partner at Hatteras Venture Partners as well as a consultant to Ancora and Urban Impact Advisors.
Thorp has served on the board of directors of the Public Broadcasting Service and Saint Louis University. In addition, he currently serves on the scientific advisory boards of the Yale School of Medicine and the Underwriters’ Laboratories Research Institutes. STAT, a media company focused on journalism about health, medicine and scientific discovery, named Thorp to its list of top leaders in the life sciences for 2024.
Thorp earned a BS degree from UNC, a doctorate in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and completed postdoctoral work at Yale University. He holds honorary degrees from Hofstra University and North Carolina Wesleyan College and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
This winter commencement ceremony celebrates candidates who have completed requirements for undergraduate and graduate degrees in the summer and fall of 2024. This is the second year that Pitt has held a winter commencement.
Follow @PittCommencement on Instagram and visit the commencement website for more informations.
At meetings last month, Senate President Robin Kear encouraged Pitt faculty members to participate in the University-wide commencement ceremony as “official witnesses to the conferring of degrees.”
“Faculty play a vital role in the success of the ceremony. And as I’ve told you over the years, those commencements are my favorite, favorite things to attend on campus,” she said. “It’s the culmination of all the students’ work.”
While not many faculty members typically attend, Kear said they are welcome to participate in several ways, including as members of the academic procession, as a general audience member or as roving marshals.
The Office of Special Events is seeking assistance from faculty and staff with greeting and seating guests, directing graduates, wayfinding and overall event support at Petersen Events Center from noon to 3:30 p.m. All volunteers will receive virtual and in-person training as well as parking and lunch on the day of the ceremony, Dec. 18.
Sign up by Dec. 4 to join the commencement day team.