The Graduate School is pleased to announce it has appointed two new associate deans to join its leadership team. Starting this summer, Dan Knopf, professor in the Department of Mathematics, will serve as associate dean with a focus on funding and policy, and Chris McCarthy, professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, will serve as associate dean with a focus on graduate student affairs.
As the associate dean for funding and policy, Knopf will provide strategic leadership to maximize the positive impact of Graduate School fellowships and awards and partner with stakeholders to assess graduate education policies and processes.
“Graduate education plays a key role in our mission as a public research university, making vital contributions both to teaching and to research, scholarship and creative endeavors,” Knopf said. “I look forward to working with campus partners on funding and policy to enable our students to thrive, our programs to succeed and our university to strategically advance.”
Knopf has been a professor in the Department of Mathematics at UT Austin since 2004 and served as the associate dean for graduate education in the College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin from 2014 to 2024.
McCarthy’s role as associate dean for graduate student affairs will be dedicated to advancing the academic success and well-being of the graduate student community at UT Austin. He will assist 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.
“I look forward to working collaboratively to develop policies, procedures and resources to support graduate education across the University,” McCarthy said. “Among my priorities will be working with programs across campus to develop multifaceted support for students as they negotiate issues relating to their academic progress and those related to mental health, the ever-changing nature of higher education and the world of work.”
McCarthy has been a faculty member in the Department of Educational Psychology at UT Austin since 1995 and recently held the role of one two Faculty Ombuds for the University. His primary professional affiliations are with the Association for Specialists in Group Work, the American Educational Research Association and the Trauma, Stress, Anxiety and Resilience Society.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Chris and Dan to the Graduate School and our leadership team,” said Sarah Ades, Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic and Postdoctoral Affairs. “They bring tremendous depth of expertise to their roles and are well-positioned to help the Graduate School in our mission to serve graduate students and programs across campus."