Chemical engineer Gary L. Haller will be the next master of Jonathan Edwards College JE, according to an announcement by President Richard C. Levin.
Mr. Haller is the Becton Professor of Engineering and Applied Science and professor of chemistry. When he assumes his new post on July 1, he will succeed Dr. Bernard Lytton, the Donald Guthrie Professor of Surgery, who has served as JE master for the past decade.
A specialist in catalysis, Professor Haller has written numerous scientific articles and one book on the topic. He has been president of the Catalysis Society and served as coeditor of the Journal of Catalysis. He has been a consultant to numerous independent firms and government agencies, including the City of New Haven, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
Professor Haller joined the Yale faculty in 1967, after earning his B.S. from the University of Nebraska and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He has twice been named to the Becton chair, first in 1984 for a term of three years and again in 1991. He has held several administrative posts at the University, serving as deputy provost for the physical sciences and engineering 1987-89; as chair of the Council of Engineering 1984-87; and as acting JE master in 1981. He is currently chair of the department of chemical engineering.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Professor Haller is a devotee of the arts. He is a collector of fine drawings and regularly visits galleries, museums and library exhibits, and attends musical, theatrical and ballet performances in New Haven and throughout the world. He is also a runner and regularly takes part in races, including marathons. He is a longtime fellow of JE and is currently president of JE's Senior Common Room.
Professor Haller will be joined in JE by his wife, Sondra. A graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Ms. Haller trains staff for the Discovery Room at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, is president of the North End Club and chairs committees at the Spring Glen Congregational Church. She has a longtime interest in antiques and works part-time for an antiques dealer. Her other hobbies include gardening and sewing.
The Hallers have three grown children. In December, their daughter Sarah gave birth to their first granddaughter, Tamsin, who already has her own site on the World Wide Web.