Dr. James R. Brockmole Selected as Next Arts & Sciences Dean
WACO, Texas (Jan. 14, 2026) – Baylor University Provost Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., announced today that James R. Brockmole, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, has been selected as Dean of Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, effective July 1.
The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor’s largest academic division with 25 departments representing the sciences, social sciences, humanities and the arts, and it is home to nearly half of all Baylor undergraduate students.
“While at Notre Dame, James Brockmole has been a builder and innovator, and his track record as both a researcher and as an academic leader is remarkable,” Provost Brickhouse said. “His vision and unique experience will ensure Baylor is well-positioned to prepare students for the future through the excellent work of the faculty and staff in the College of Arts & Sciences.”
A summa cum laude graduate of Notre Dame, Brockmole earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University. He began his academic career at the University of Edinburgh in the UK before joining the Notre Dame psychology faculty as an associate professor of psychology in 2009. He was promoted to full professor in 2017 and appointed department chair in 2023.
Brockmole has held several academic positions in Notre Dame’s College of Arts & Letters, including Associate Dean for the Social Sciences and Research, Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Initiatives and Director of the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts (now the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good). He currently serves as co-director of the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience and Behavior and is a member of the Arts & Letters College Council.
“I am honored to serve as the next Dean of Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences. I believe faith-based universities are well positioned to address the world's biggest challenges by blending rigorous inquiry with a deep sense of moral purpose and a commitment to human flourishing. The focus is not only on how the world works, but also why the world matters,” Brockmole said. “I am excited to join Baylor’s vibrant community to help advance its academic goals, distinctive Christian mission and vision for the future. I am especially looking forward to getting to know the faculty, staff and students as we work together to expand knowledge and serve the greater good locally, nationally and globally.”
In addition to his academic leadership, Brockmole is an active and highly cited researcher whose work focuses on the cognitive mechanisms underlying attention and memory. His most recent interdisciplinary project, funded by Templeton Religion Trust, brought together Notre Dame psychology and theology faculty for research that assessed sacred art’s impact on viewers’ individual experiences, memories and spiritual understanding using a combination of virtual reality, eye-tracking and experimental methods. In addition to the Templeton Religion Trust, his research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, European Research Council, the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council and more.
Along with publishing in top peer-reviewed journals, Brockmole has served as Editor-In-Chief of Psychonomic Bulletin & Review as well as Associate Editor of the journals Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics and Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. He has presented at hundreds of department colloquia, conferences and workshops in the U.S. and across the globe, and he has faithfully served and mentored numerous post-doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students.
Brockmole is an elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, Psychonomic Society, and Phi Beta Kappa Society. He also served an honorific appointment as The Joseph and Elizabeth Robbie Collegiate Chair at Notre Dame from 2017-2023, in recognition of achievements “as a scholar, teacher, and citizen of the University.”
Provost Brickhouse also thanked the search committee for their time and dedicated service during the process: Kevin Chambliss, Ph.D. (chair), DeAnna Toten Beard, Ph.D., (chair), Amanda Dobbins, Rebecca McCumbers Flavin, Ph.D., Chris Hansen, M.A., Ronald Angelo Johnson, Ph.D., Joaquin Lugo, Ph.D., Markus Schafer, Ph.D., Amanda Hering, Ph.D., Marlene Neill, Ph.D., J. Wesley (Wes) Null, Ph.D., Liela Romero, Ph.D., and Devan Stahl, Ph.D.
When Brockmole joins Baylor this summer, he will succeed Lee C. Nordt, Ph.D., the longest-serving Dean in the history of the College, who announced his plans last August to step down and return to the Department of Geosciences at the end of this semester. The provost expressed that his impact on Baylor University cannot be understated.
“Under Dean Nordt’s leadership, the College of Arts & Sciences was the forerunner in creating a culture of research and scholarship that, in turn, led to Baylor attaining Carnegie R1 status,” she said. “His commitment to revising the core curriculum, streamlining degree programs and providing engaged learning opportunities was central to the University achieving an all-time-high four-year graduation rate in 2025. His keen eye for talent and high expectations for performance have been fundamental in helping build Baylor’s reputation for excellence in Christian higher education.”
ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments in the sciences, humanities, fine arts and social sciences, as well as 11 academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. The College’s undergraduate Unified Core Curriculum, which routinely receives top grades in national assessments, emphasizes a liberal education characterized by critical thinking, communication, civic engagement and Christian commitment. Arts & Sciences faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit the College of Arts & Sciences website.