This summer, Laura Carlson became UD’s 12^th provost. Here are 10 things to know about the new chief academic officer:

1. She’s inspired by ambition. “I want to be at a place that wants to achieve and grow,” she says. “That’s true for me personally too. I like to set a goal and then do the hard work to move toward it.”

2. Her interview prep is unique. On April 18, 2022, Carlson ran her 11^th Boston Marathon. The next morning, she was in Newark. “I spent most of the race intrigued by the juxtaposition of a University founded in 1743 with a land, space, sea-grant mission, and cutting-edge research in biopharma, fintech, entrepreneurship. But past mile 20, my thoughts were not that coherent.”

3. She was there. Carlson has run 30-some marathons (including a full Ironman), but none as haunting as 2013’s Boston Marathon. She was at the finish line when the bombings occurred and returned in 2014, finding strength in her hometown’s “resilience and defiance.”

4. An expert in spatial cognition. As a psychologist, Carlson’s studies the way we conceptualize space, or “how we create cognitive maps of the places and spaces around us.”

5. She values well-being. She has resumed rowing, a sport she participated in as an undergraduate at Dartmouth.  Rowing is “the perfect way to empty your head and focus on the moment,” she says.  

6. Commitment is a core value. Prior to UD, Carlson spent 28 years at Notre Dame, where she most recently served as vice president, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

7. A proud coach. A former high school track and cross-country coach, Carlson finds many life skills in sports: consistency, persistence, hard work, defining goals. Her favorite aspect of coaching is helping others see what they can achieve for themselves.

8. With Blue Hen ties. Her niece is a junior chemical engineering major in the Honor’s College who plays on the club softball team and will be “the number one dog sitter” to Carlson’s Black lab mix, Bean, named after her Boston hometown (Beantown).

9. In the family. Carlson’s husband, Rob, is a UD professor of neuroscience who researches the effects of digital technology on decision-making.  Their two adult children, Hazel and Grayson, have already visited campus.

10. She’s pinching herself. “It is a dream come true,” Carlson says of being at UD. “The university community has developed an excellent strategic plan. The task at hand now is to work together to figure out how to make it happen. That will be great fun.”