Sally Wasileski, Ph.D.

Bio

Dr. Sally Wasileski joined the faculty at UNC Asheville in 2005 and was chosen to lead as Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences (CNHS) in the summer of 2025. Prior to becoming Dean of Natural and Human Sciences, she served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 2018-2025. Dr. Wasileski has an exemplary record of effective department chair experience, external funding success, and a demonstrated commitment to student success and career readiness. She is collaborative, and action/solution oriented with a designer mindset and an ability to be innovative. As the Dean of CNHS, she oversees an
expanded portfolio of multiple departments and academic programs, serving the departments of Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Health Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, New Media, Neuroscience, Physics & Astronomy, Pre-Health Professions, and Psychology along with other new programs developing. Dr. Wasileski values the extraordinary relationships faculty and staff maintain with students and is committed to supporting this engagement that characterizes the undergraduate educational experience at UNC Asheville.

Prior to her role as dean, she taught courses in analytical and physical chemistry, spectroscopy, quantum mechanics, general chemistry, chemistry of food and cooking, and developed a first-year seminar course on the science of learning and emotional intelligence for students to build holistic skills for college success.  Dr. Wasileski has engaged undergraduate students in research on computational modelling of heterogeneous catalytic reactions and analysis of environmental contaminants. More recently, her research has focused on students and faculty in higher education, specifically on how student support programming impacts student success and engagement in STEM higher education and on engaging leadership at primarily undergraduate institutions to develop processes to ensure clarity in faculty workload expectations and evaluation processes for STEM faculty. 

When away from campus, Dr. Wasileski enjoys traveling, cooking, baking, and gardening with her family.

Education

• B.S. with honors in Chemistry from Juniata College
• Ph.D. in Chemistry from Purdue University

Courses Previously Taught

•  CHEM 111 General Chemistry Lab
• CHEM 132 General Chemistry
• CHEM 145 Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory
• CHEM 438 Quantum Spectroscopy
• FYS 178: Science and Practice of Learning and Thriving in College