Staff Directory

Leadership

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  Sarah Ades

  Dean of the Graduate School

  Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

  Dr. Ades comes to The University of Texas at Austin from Penn State where she most recently was the associate dean for graduate student affairs in the Graduate School at Penn State, and also served as a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Eberly College of Science. She received the Penn State Teaching Fellow Award, the Alumni Association and Student Award for Teaching Excellence, and the C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society. Ades is the recipient of a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation and a GlaxoSmithKline Discovery Fast Track Competition winner. She has also served on the editorial board for the Journal of Bacteriology.

  Before her tenure at Penn State, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institut de Biologie Molecularie et Cellulaire in Strasbourg, France, and at the University of California, San Francisco. She received a bachelor’s degree in molecular physics and biochemistry from Yale University and a Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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  Dan Knopf

  Associate Dean, Graduate Funding and Policy

  Dean Knopf provides strategic leadership to maximize the positive impact of Graduate School fellowships and awards, and partners with stakeholders to assess graduate education policies and processes. 

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  Chris McCarthy

  Associate Dean of Graduate Student Affairs

  Dean McCarthy oversees the academic success and well-being of the graduate student community at UT Austin. He assists in addressing issues that arise over the course of a student’s journey at the University, along with collaborating with the Graduate School’s Office of Career and Life Design to coordinate and develop resources to promote graduate student success in and out of the classroom.

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  Michelle Broadway

  Senior Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies

  Dean Broadway oversees proposals for new or changed degree, certificate, and portfolio programs, Graduate School Catalog, classification of graduate students, publications & other communications and special projects.

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  Lydia Contreras

  Associate Dean of Postdoctoral Affairs; Paul D. & Betty Robertson Meek Centennial Professorship in Chemical Engineering

  As the Associate Dean of Postdoctoral Affairs, Dr. Lydia Contreras oversees the newly established Office of Postdoctoral Affairs within the Graduate School’s portfolio. This office supports the professional and career development of postdoctoral scholars at UT Austin equipping them with the research, scholarship and/or creative activity and professional skills necessary to successfully undertake independent academic research.

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  Nick Hundley

  Director, Recruitment and External Relations

  In his role as director of recruitment and external affairs, Nick Hundley oversees communications and marketing for the Graduate School and graduate student recruitment at the university. He works with graduate programs across campus to identify strategies to identify and attract top students and communicate with key audiences to enhance graduate education at the university.

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  Annie Maxfield

  Director, Career and Life Design

  Annie Maxfield has been an advocate for graduate students and postdocs in achieving their chosen careers for over 15 years. On a national level, she serves as the Design and Development Lead for ImaginePhD, a career exploration and planning platform for humanities and social sciences. At UT, Annie co-led the task force to establish the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Graduate Mentoring Committee. Annie recently completed the Stanford Life Design training, a framework that uses design thinking and an action-oriented approach to assist students in navigating complex life choices. Her areas of expertise include values-driven decision making, the employer perspective, career exploration, strategic interviewing and the intersection of identity and career. 

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  Shannon Neuse

  Director, Office of Graduate Admissions

  As director of the Office of Graduate Admissions, Shannon Neuse oversees the processing of over 30,000 graduate school applications annually. She provides guidance and training for graduate programs on the holistic application review process and helps to define the enrollment plan and goals in recruiting, admitting and enrolling domestic and international graduate students.

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  Jake Wyatt

  Chief Business Officer

  In his role as Chief Business Officer, Jake Wyatt oversees the business affairs team which includes human resources, budget & financial planning, and business office processing activities.

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