Dr. Colyer Receives 2025 CBOV Faculty Leadership Award 

By Erin Marlow, Communications Specialist, Office of the Dean of the College

Dr. Christa Colyer, Professor of Chemistry and the James and Courtenay Harton Faculty Fellow for Chemical Industry, has been awarded the 2025 College Board of Visitors Faculty Leadership Award. Since 2017, the College Board of Visitors has honored a Wake Forest Faculty member who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to the goals of the College through cross-departmental collaboration and academic leadership. 

Reflecting on what the award means to her, Dr. Colyer recalls moments of mentorship that have guided her tenure at Wake Forest. “Winning the award made me think about the faculty I’ve looked up to as leaders on my own academic journey,” she said. “I feel very humbled and honored to have my work recognized by the College Board of Visitors when it is really only possible because of the many amazing people with whom I get to work.”

Since first joining Wake Forest faculty in 1997, Dr. Colyer has exemplified Wake’s institutional commitment to compassionate leadership in both her research and her teaching. Her work on incorporating carbon dots into developing methodologies for drug testing and other real-world applications has been highly productive: she served as principal or co-principal investigator on $3.2 million in external grants; published 75 peer-reviewed publications; and delivered 51 invited research presentations. 

For Dr. Colyer, excellence in research and student mentorship are inseparable. Throughout her 24 years, she has supervised 117 undergraduate research projects and guided 18 graduate students and three post-doctoral fellows. Her commitment to her students’ academic success has earned her Wake Forest’s Reid-Doyle Prize for Excellence in Teaching, the Teaching Innovation Award, and the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising.

“Dr. Christa Colyer embodies the very best of what it means to be a teacher-scholar at Wake Forest University. Since joining our faculty in 1997, she has set an extraordinary standard for integrating cutting-edge research — from millions in external grants and numerous influential peer-reviewed publications — with her one-of-a-kind mentorship shown to every undergraduate and graduate student who has entered her lab. She is the kind of compassionate leader that has profoundly shaped students, colleagues, and our entire institution,” said Dr. Jackie Krasas, Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

In addition to being an exemplary teacher-scholar, Dr. Colyer is a transformative leader in the Department of Chemistry. She served as Department Chair from 2006 to 2014 and was elected as “Chair of College Chairs” for the 2009 to 2010 academic year. In these roles, she not only guided colleagues but also established the Chemistry Center tutoring service, which now serves hundreds of students every semester.

Dr. Colyer has extended her leadership to the College level, serving as an invaluable member of the College Curriculum Review Committee from 2017 to 2019 and Associate Dean of Academic Planning from 2016 to 2020. Her dedication was most critically tested during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she served as one of the four leaders on the original Academic Team of the COVID Scenario University Planning Team (CSUPT). Amid uncertainty and educational challenges, Dr. Colyer navigated obstacles with remarkable integrity and resilience. ”She was a tireless advocate for faculty, students, and the exceptional academic experiences both deserved,” said Betsy Barre, Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching. 

Most recently, Dr. Colyer was announced as the new Program Director of the Worrell House in London, deepening her connection to the signature house abroad, where she served as resident professor three times. 

Dr. Colyer’s influence — from her innovative carbon dot research to her transformative mentorship — has nurtured a generation of scientists who carry forward her passion for discovery and commitment to education. We congratulate Dr. Christa Colyer on winning the 2025 College Board of Visitors Faculty Leadership Award. 

“Dr. Christa Colyer embodies the very best of what it means to be a teacher-scholar at Wake Forest University. Since joining our faculty in 1997, she has set an extraordinary standard for integrating cutting-edge research — from millions in external grants and numerous influential peer-reviewed publications — with her one-of-a-kind mentorship shown to every undergraduate and graduate student who has entered her lab.”

Dr. Jackie Krasas, Dean of the College and Graduate School of arts & Sciences