Seiichi Matsuda

Seiichi Matsuda is the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Rice University and holds the E. Dell Butcher Chair in Chemistry. He is a Professor of Chemistry and Biosciences in the Department of Chemistry. With a B.A. in Chemistry from Bethel College and a Ph.D. from Harvard University, he has been at Rice since 1995, serving as Chemistry Department Chair (2007–2013) before becoming Dean in 2014. His leadership has expanded graduate program visibility, doubling applicant pools and tripling underrepresented student enrollment. He received the 2022 Debra W. Stewart Award for transforming graduate support structures. His research focuses on terpenoid biosynthesis, particularly plant natural products, enzyme characterization, and metabolic engineering. Collaborations include studies on Arabidopsis thaliana terpenoid functions.

Education:

• B.A. Chemistry, Bethel College
• Ph.D. Chemistry, Harvard University

Research interests span terpenoid structural diversity, enzyme function analysis, and applications in drug discovery. He promotes graduate student success through innovative programs like fellowship coaching and TA funding. Awards include the George R. Brown Award for Teaching (multiple times) and national leadership in graduate education advocacy.

Labs/Teams: His lab investigates plant genome-driven terpene biosynthesis, with projects on enzyme engineering and microbial production of natural products. Collaborations with Bonnie Bartel explore terpenoid roles in plant development.