Rooted in Research: How Seaver College Dean Lee Kats Sparked a Culture of Discovery at Pepperdine University
Lee Kats, the newly appointed dean of Pepperdine University’s Seaver College, discovered his academic vocation while wandering through a Michigan forest.
Then an undergraduate student at Calvin University, Kats’ career goal was to become a veterinarian. But his trajectory changed dramatically when a new faculty member specializing in animal biology introduced him to the wide array of creatures inhabiting his own backyard.
Out in the forest frogs croaked from the wetlands and scurried across the leaf-littered ground. Entering their habitat, Kats began to record the patterns of his new amphibian friends. He’d take note of their activity, charting how the weather conditions drove frog behavior. In the process, his faculty mentor taught him how to put these new observations to good use.
“What really grabbed me was this quest to create new knowledge about animals.” says Kats. “My research mentor told me, ‘there are some frogs living across from campus, and we don’t know much about them.’ By doing so, he gently reinforced my animal observation skills. Before that, I didn’t know how to form my interests around a scientific context.”
From that point on, Kats was hooked. No longer did veterinary school seem so interesting. Now he wanted to continue meeting animals in their native environments, studying the lessons they had to teach him. More than that, he wanted to open others’ eyes to the natural world around them, just like his first faculty mentor did for him.
This singular quest of Kats’ has done more than inform his career in academia. It has also revolutionized Pepperdine’s approach to research. As a result of his mission to help undergraduate students discover and create new knowledge in the field, Kats has helped a teaching institution blossom into an R2 university capable of producing world-changing findings.
The Inspiration
“I see my early self in the students,” says Kats. “I see their excitement and enthusiasm for discovering something new that they didn’t know they had in them.”
Lee Kats with his behavioral ecology students
Upon arriving at Pepperdine University in 1990, Kats set out to recreate his eye-opening experience in the research field with as many students as were interested. In doing so, he aimed to create an experiential learning opportunity, where undergraduates were active participants in the educational process.
Kats, like his mentor before him, began introducing students to the amphibians native to the Santa Monica Mountains and aquatic life of the Pacific Ocean. He involved them in his research regarding the California newt, salamanders, and predatory invasive species. The classroom, for Kats’ early student cohorts, was not confined to chalkboards and desks. Instead, the young midwestern professor allowed them to learn by investigating the natural world around them.
Kats’ active involvement with and passion for promoting undergraduate research eventually caught the attention of W. David Baird, the dean of Seaver College at the time. To further Kats’ efforts, Baird created a new position for him—assistant dean for research. In this inaugural role, the biology professor's chief responsibility was to expand student research opportunities.
Kats discussing a research project with an undergraduate
“David Baird and I shared a vision where undergraduates could engage in research alongside professors in all disciplines,” explains Kats. “To bring this vision to light, we created small pockets of funding that faculty could apply for, particularly if they were working with students.”
Through internal grants like the Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative (AYURI), Kats encouraged Seaver College to fund the academic projects of faculty members who involved students in the investigative process. Soon, this innovative active-learning strategy earned Kats the chance to expand his reach and, ultimately, foster a culture of inquiry and discovery among the campus community.
A System of Success
After successfully promoting and funding undergraduate research at Seaver College, Kats was invited to continue growing Pepperdine’s academic capabilities as vice provost. Now working at the university level, he was charged with the responsibility of building Pepperdine’s scholarly reputation, inspiring more collaboration across campus, and, of course, finding new ways to involve students.
To accomplish these important goals, the professor-turned-administrator relied on teamwork and a posture of affirmation.
Kats speaking at Seaver College's research symposium in 2023
“Lee wants to come from a place of, ‘yes,’” says Katy Carr, Pepperdine’s associate vice provost for research. “His collaborative nature has made a huge difference in being able to grow research at Pepperdine.”
Carr, who has worked with Kats throughout the process of developing Pepperdine’s research enterprise, described how the biologist's leadership expanded the University’s internal grants program. Under Kats’ leadership, Pepperdine’s offer of just two localized grants grew to a suite of 15 unique funding opportunities.
The University’s internal grants system allows Pepperdine professors to develop projects and apply for funding at their home institution. In turn, their research portfolio can grow increasingly competitive, providing the confidence and financial foundation needed to eventually apply for external grants.
After Kats implemented and began expanding the internal grants program at the university level, Pepperdine saw its volume of research efforts bloom. For example, since 2013, three years after Kats became vice provost, the institution has seen a 90 percent increase in research publications. This scholarly growth has allowed Pepperdine to open even more doors for students to participate in groundbreaking studies.
“We have a higher award percentage as an institution now,” says Carr. “From the data, we can see the quality of our research proposals improving. I know that comes as a result of our investment in the faculty members.”
New Opportunities, Same Student Focus
In 2025 Pepperdine University earned an R2 designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education—an achievement that highlights the campus-wide commitment to producing purpose-driven scholarship. To earn this distinction, which required a $5 million investment in research activities and the awarding of at least 20 research doctorates annually, Seaver College intensified its focus on undergraduate research.
Nearly a quarter of the research publications emerging from Seaver College in the last two years includes a student coauthor. Similarly, nearly 20 percent of all the presentations given by faculty members at academic conferences include a student presenter. This level of engagement with undergraduates was spurred by professors like Kats, who intentionally make the effort to help students learn in new ways.
Kats researching in the Santa Monica Mountains
“Lee has been instrumental in Pepperdine's rise in the area of research pedigree,” says Lila Carlsen, Pepperdine University’s vice provost. “His leadership has elevated the research profile of Pepperdine, and he has led by example to create a culture of discovery and innovation in our classrooms and labs.”
As a result of Kats’ influence, the University offers more opportunities than ever for students to get involved with research. Whether it is through AYURI, the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, or the Keck Institute for Data Science Fellowship programs, undergraduates across all eight academic divisions at Seaver College can pair with their professors—including Kats himself—study their passions, and discover new knowledge.
“Dr. Kats has been an irreplaceable mentor in my life,” says Dayo Lee, a Seaver College student and member of Kats’ behavioral ecology research lab. “He is constantly encouraging and challenging me to go above and beyond in everything that I do—in the lab, in the classroom, and in the real world. Despite his busy schedule as the dean, his mentorship is never passive or lacking; he pushes me to think more critically, ask better questions, hold myself to a higher standard, and, ultimately, be more self-confident. Dr. Kats has an extraordinary ability to spark curiosity in his students—not just about the topics in front of them, but about the natural world as a whole.”
Kats working with students in the research field
Ever since he unexpectedly discovered the wonders of research in the Michigan forest, Kats has chased the goal of providing the same life-changing experience for others. In the end, much of the success he has had as a professor, an assistant dean, a vice provost, and now the dean of Seaver College stems from the accomplishment of that goal, underscored by Pepperdine’s recent R2 designation.
“I’ve always loved and had a passion for research and scholarship, not just because we’re adding to new knowledge of God’s creation, but because I can do it with fellow colleagues and students,” says Kats. “For me, the R2 designation means we’re achieving this collaborative goal. We’ve achieved it using a model unique to Pepperdine. We’ve achieved it by integrating students in all of that discovery, across all of our disciplines.”