Convocation

The College of the Atlantic community gathers for the official start of the 2026-27 academic year. Followed by the Bar Island swim and community cookout.

The 2026 COA Convocation speaker is Seth Carbonneau ’05, Senior Principal Scientist at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. Carbonneau leads early-stage drug discovery efforts, specifically focusing on target identification and determining the mechanism of action of therapeutic compounds. Based in the Cambridge, Massachusetts innovation hub, his role bridges genetics, biology, and chemistry to discover how new drugs interact with human cells to fight disease.

Carbonneau has been at Novartis since 2010. He got his start in bench research working in the laboratory of Dr. James Coffman at MDI Biological Laboratory, focusing on developmental biology and cellular stress responses. He also spent time at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, working as a researcher in the lab of Dr. A. Thomas Look, where he studied the genetics of leukemia and T-cell development.

Don’t miss the annual Bar Island swim, cookout, and live music during the afternoon/evening following convocation.