Dr. Juan González
Dr. Juan González, professor of molecular and cell biology in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), has been named dean of graduate education and associate provost at The University of Texas at Dallas.
González previously served as associate dean of graduate studies in NSM, where he worked with graduate students in the school, as well as on campuswide initiatives for graduate student recruiting and application processes. He began his new role as dean Dec. 1.
“Dr. González has done an outstanding job as associate dean, working with students in NSM while also looking at the bigger picture of how we attract the best and brightest graduate students to UT Dallas,” said Dr. Inga Musselman, provost, vice president for academic affairs and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership. “Dr. González is well-prepared for this role, and I am confident that he will continue his track record of growth and innovation as dean of graduate education.”
González said he is honored to follow previous graduate education deans: Dr. Austin Cunningham, professor emeritus of physics, who built the office, and Dr. Marion Underwood, former Ashbel Smith Professor, who expanded its reach and mission.
“Graduate education is at the core of our institution’s DNA. Having the opportunity to enhance and expand our graduate programs is a privilege,” he said.
“Graduate education is at the core of our institution’s DNA. Having the opportunity to enhance and expand our graduate programs is a privilege.”
Dr. Juan González, new dean of graduate education at UT Dallas
In his role at NSM, González worked with the academic units of the school to attract and recruit the brightest students, while also supporting academic progress and timely completion of students’ graduate degrees. He said his work as dean of graduate education will be similar but with a broader mandate for the entire university.
González said he is looking forward to increasing the quality of UT Dallas graduate programs and attracting the best graduate students.
“Competition for top-level students is constant and fierce. We need to be prepared to pivot and adapt to new opportunities and challenges when attracting and retaining both domestic and international students,” he said.
González joined the UT Dallas faculty in 1996 after receiving his doctorate from UCLA and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He recently chaired a task force established by Musselman that studied UT Dallas international recruitment efforts and strategies. In addition, for the past 13 years, González has served as campus director of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Student Participation, which is tasked with increasing the diversity of students successfully completing STEM baccalaureates and encouraging more underrepresented students to consider graduate study programs.
During his career, González has been awarded numerous grants for his research on the mechanisms governing bacterium-host recognition and the events leading to symbiosis.
González said he looks forward to backing UT Dallas’ commitment to research through the Office of Graduate Education.
“Our success as an institution of higher education has always been premised on our research accomplishments,” he said. “It is my goal to support those accomplishments by becoming an active advocate for attaining the highest level of excellence in postgraduate education at our institution while promoting a rich diversity of people and ideas.”