Education

Dr. Kiernan holds a doctorate in philosophy in mass communication from the University of Maryland, College Park, an executive master’s in leadership from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Cornell University.

Other academic credentials and certifications include:

Experience

Dr. Kiernan worked for nine years as a senior editor and senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, a weekly trade newspaper and daily website in Washington, D.C. His research centers on science and medical journalism, specifically on the relationships between journalists and the scientific establishment.

Dr. Kiernan is the author of numerous books and professional publications, most recently including Atomic Bill: A Journalist’s Dangerous Ambition in the Shadow of the Bomb (Cornell University Press), a biography of the New York Times science journalist William L. Laurence. Other books include Embargoed Science, Writing Your Dissertation with Microsoft Word and Finding an Online High School: Your Guide to More Than 4,500 High School Courses Offered Over the Internet.

Currently, Dr. Kiernan is dean of the Metropolitan School of Professional Studies at The Catholic University of America where he serves as the school’s chief executive and academic leaders, guiding its vision, generating resources, promoting the school’s visibility and managing all aspects of the school’s operations.

He was previously the associate dean for graduate academic affairs at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University. Prior to that, Dr. Kiernan was an associate dean at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies where he directed a bachelor’s program for working adults.