Honors College Dean

Email: happel@central.uh.edu

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Heidi Appel, Ph.D., has been dean of the Honors College since 2024. Although trained as a biologist, her first love was the arts and humanities, and she is happiest in the interdisciplinary spaces of honors education. She was previously dean of the Honors College at the University of Toledo and senior associate director of the Honors College at the University of Missouri where she led programs and courses exploring the rich intersections of the arts, humanities, and sciences.

Dean Appel believes the honors education provided by the College prepares students of all majors for success in their lives and careers. Appelalso believes that the leaders of tomorrow need skills to engage with others to address societal challenges in our world. To this end, she helped to form a nationwide network of Honors deans and directors to provide students with the transdisciplinary and systems thinking skills for effective civic and community engagement.

Appel is internationally known for her research on the chemical ecology of plant-insect interactions and was recognized as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018. She is often a go-to source for media on plant science topics. Appel holds doctoral and master’s degrees in biology from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Oakland University, Michigan.