Ezra Stiles Head of College Office

The Head of College acts as the chief administrative officer of the residential college and presides as a faculty presence. He sets the intellectual and cultural tone of the college, lives with his family alongside Ezra Stiles students, and eats many of his meals in the college dining hall. His responsibilities include the physical safety and well-being of resident students. He also oversees much of the college’s social life, hosting College Teas, trips, and other events.

Stop by the Head of College Office for answers on anything and everything to do with residential life in the college, to purchase Stiles gear or borrow from our comprehensive lending library of board games, sports equipment, movies, tools, hand carts and other handy items. You can also use the the fax machine (yes, some Yale departments still use FAX), buy a stamp, and there is always candy!

The office is open Monday thru Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Contact the office: phone: (203) 432-0560 / fax: (203) 432-7930 / email

Head of College Michael Koelle

Michael Koelle is a Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Since arriving at Yale in 1996, Professor Koelle has run a research lab in the Yale Medical Center studying how neurons in the brain communicate with each other to make decisions and control behaviors. His research also aims to understand what goes wrong with molecules and neurons in conditions like drug addiction and depression. Experiments in the Koelle lab range from studying the biochemical functions of purified brain proteins, to analyzing the structures of neurons using electron microscopes, to tracking activity of neurons genetically engineered to emit light every time they are active. A current focus in the lab is understanding the mechanism by which opioids and other molecules act to turn down activity of neurons.

Professor Koelle has a major focus on undergraduate teaching. For over 25 years, he has taught in “MB&B 300 Principles of Biochemistry,” a course for which he won Yale College’s Dylan Hixon ’88 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Natural Sciences. Professor Koelle also teaches the “Biology 101 Biochemistry and Biophysics” course taken by first-year students. He served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry major for 13 years and is a past Chair of the Yale College Teaching, Learning, and Advising Committee.

Professor Koelle lives in the Head house within Ezra Stiles College with his wife Lore, who serves as the Associate Head of Ezra Stiles. While Professor Koelle and Dr. Gruenbaum are both biochemists, they are also both avid amateur classical musicians, and they met not through science but rather playing chamber music at a workshop sponsored by the Yale School of Music. Their two children, Benjamin and Miriam, both currently Yale College undergraduates, stay in the Stiles house during breaks when they are not living at their own colleges. Stiles students (and their visiting families) are welcomed into the Koelle/Gruenbaum home for various events throughout the year. When in the house, you may encounter Sonny, the 1-year old family cat.

For appointments, please email Carol Martin

Associate Head of College Lore Gruenbaum

Dr. Lore Gruenbaum is the Chief Scientific Officer of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), a public charity dedicated to curing blood cancers and improving the lives of patients through education, financial support, and advocacy. After earning a biochemistry PhD at Free University of Berlin, Germany, Dr. Gruenbaum came to Yale as a postdoctoral scientist and then pursued a 20-year career in drug development at pharmaceutical and biotech companies before moving to non-profit work. Dr. Gruenbaum leads the research mission at LLS, overseeing all biomedical grant programs, a master clinical trial for acute myeloid leukemia, and a venture philanthropy program that invests in and partners with biotech companies developing new cancer therapies.

Marc Levenson, Assistant Director of Operations, Ezra Stiles College

Phone: (203) 432-8091

Marc is entering his fourteenth year as Assistant Director of Operations, Ezra Stiles College. He earned a BA in American Studies from Cornell University and a Masters in Educational Policy Analysis and Administration from Stanford University. He has previously held various positions in academic advising and student affairs, including director of academic advising and undergraduate programming for Drexel University’s College of Engineering and director of residential life for Landmark College, a college serving students with learning disabilities and ADHD. When not pitching zany ideas for new Stiles events or ordering vast quantities of dumplings for study breaks, Marc helps out in the community. He’s been the volunteer coordinator for his daughters’ elementary school PTA, the treasurer of his neighborhood civic association, the chair of Yale Faculty Partners, and the coordinator of a weekly neighborhood soup night. He sometimes conspires to create new groups, such as a long-running dads’ night out and, more recently, a group advocating for racial justice for his town’s schools. Marc’s wife, Catherine Nicholson, is a professor in Yale’s English Department, and she and their three kids (18-year-old Miriam, 14-year-old Ruth, and 7-year-old Eli) drop in on occasion to enjoy the Stiles fun. The kids are even the lead architects of the snack stadium we build each year for the annual Stiles Super Bowl party.

Carol Martin, Senior Administrative Assistant II, Ezra Stiles Head’s Office

At the same time as the first students were moving into Ezra Stiles, Carol was born (and raised) in way upstate New York outside of Buffalo, (Go Bills!) in a little farming community called Eden (really). Later after moving to the New Haven area, she spent 10 years at Yale in the School of Medicine, 10 years at Hopkins School and Mitchell College, then returned to Yale, first in the department of MB&B (Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry) and is now a happy Stilesian who continues to have the great fortune to work with amazing people. Her love of the academic environment, coupled with events, makes the bustling Ezra Stiles a perfect fit. When not on campus, Carol is a daily dinker and driver on the pickleball court, but if it’s raining, may try out a new recipe, where soups, stews, and chili are the favorites to share.

Please stop by and see Carol if you have programming ideas you need help bringing to life, questions about Creative and Performing Arts Awards, Fellowships, inquiries on employment opportunities within Stiles, or wish to make an appointment with the Head of College. Carol is in room 105 in the College Office (Entryway C) and can be reached at carol.martin@yale.edu or phone at 203-432-0560 Monday-Friday.