Joe Jez, the Spencer T. Olin Professor in Biology and former chair of biology, sees himself as the exception. “Most PhD graduates don’t go on to become professors at an R1 university,” he said. “My path should be seen as an alternative career.”

Jez will bring this guiding insight to his new position: vice dean of graduate studies. “I want to prepare our graduate students for whatever comes next in their careers,” he said.

Jez started the position on July 1. He succeeded Sophia Hayes, a professor of chemistry who was named the inaugural vice dean of graduate studies in 2021. During her tenure, Hayes established the Office of Graduate Studies and launched the Dean’s Award for Graduate Research Excellence, the first research award of its kind for graduate students in Arts & Sciences.

Jez will work to continue the momentum in graduate studies while taking new steps to prepare students in all Arts & Sciences fields for an ever-changing career landscape.

He spoke with the Ampersand about the value of graduate students and his goals for the graduate program.

As a longtime faculty member and the former chair of biology, you’ve worked with many graduate students over the years. How important are grad students to Arts & Sciences and the university?

Graduate students are largely responsible for the university’s success and its stellar reputation around the world. They do much of the work behind the scenes, including writing the papers. Students who come here often end up as lead authors in major journals. They also win more than their share of national awards and scholarships.

That record of success has helped us attract talented students from all over the world, but I’ll never take that for granted. I’ll do what I can to make sure WashU Arts & Sciences is still a top destination.

“I want to ensure the graduate students at WashU Arts & Sciences know they’re part of a larger community... We’re in it together.” 
—Joe Jez

What kind of training should graduate students at WashU expect?

A graduate education is very much geared toward building technical and scholarly skill sets, as it should be. At WashU, graduate students should expect to gain practical, hands-on experience by working closely with their supervisors, postdoctoral researchers, and other members of the team. They will learn the inner workings of their chosen field from some of the top minds.

My mission now is to find new ways to gear that training to the modern career landscape. As someone who has worked in both academia and industry — I worked at a biotech startup before getting my own lab at the Danforth Plant Science Center — I’m familiar with the particular demands and requirements of each path. The balancing act between academic training and career preparation is really in my DNA.

I’m still considering specific steps to expand career training in science, the humanities, and the social sciences. We may be able to find more opportunities for internships and build more connections with local and regional employers.

What can faculty do to help prepare students for future careers?

From my perspective, our Arts & Sciences faculty are our most important, impactful resource for career development. Our faculty have already accomplished much in their own fields, so they’re in a good position to advise and inspire grad students. They just have to make career development a priority.

I will encourage all faculty to work with the Center for Career Engagement, a WashU cross-campus hub that does a great job with career coaching, skills training, and providing access to leaders and alumni. More students and faculty should know about the center and its services. It has so much to offer that a little awareness can go a long way.

I was a career innovation faculty fellow with the center, which means I was closely involved with developing new career-related activities and assignments for students. For example, I collaborated with the center’s coaching team to design and review an interview-based assignment to give Danforth Plant Science fellows hands-on experience articulating their skills and interests. The same sort of practice could be helpful for undergraduate students as well.

How has your experience at WashU prepared you for the new position?

Throughout my time here, I’ve been thinking about new ways to give students real-life skills. In 2014, I was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, an honor given to scientists who prioritize education. I used the funding from the award to launch Biotech Explorers Pathway, a popular two-year Ampersand program that gives students hands-on, practical experience in biotech techniques. Biotech Explorers is one of my biggest achievements, and it exemplifies my commitment to providing marketable skills to students.

What kind of work are you doing in your lab, and how will that inform your new role?

My lab uses X-ray crystallography, enzymology, and molecular biology to identify the underlying physical reality behind biological phenomena. It’s a very collaborative process. Often, another lab will make an exciting observation or discovery, and they’ll reach out to us to figure out what’s happening at the structural or molecular level.

Throughout my career, my work has underscored the value of collaboration. But it also highlights the contributions of graduate students. The research couldn’t happen without them.

I want to encourage graduate students to reach out to other departments in Arts & Sciences and beyond. Students may specialize in one field or another, but the most interesting stuff will be happening at the intersections. If you’re getting a PhD studying literature from a particular time period, you could have some really important conversations with a history student who is thinking about the same period.

Ultimately, I want to ensure the graduate students at WashU Arts & Sciences know they’re part of a larger community. They can talk with their peers, they can talk with faculty, and they can talk to me. We’re in it together.