Distinguished Professor Gerben Zylstra.
Announcement from Laura Lawson, SEBS Executive Dean and NJAES Executive Director
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Dr. Gerben Zylstra will serve as the SEBS Associate Dean of Graduate Education, effective February 15. Please join me in congratulating him on this new role.
Gerben Zylstra is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology. His research focuses on the study of bacteria capable of degrading aromatic compounds in order to uncover the genetic mechanisms underlying the evolution and dissemination of these metabolic pathways across different bacterial species. He teaches microbial genetics to both undergraduate and graduate students. For the past fourteen years, he has served as Graduate Program Director for the Microbial Biology Graduate Program. In this role, Gerben has been involved in every aspect of the program, including admissions review, interviews, recruiting and orientation, thesis advisor selection, monitoring student progress, and verifying graduate requirements. He helped steward the new 4+1 option in the program as well.
As Associate Dean of Graduate Education, Gerben will support the growth, development, and quality of graduate programs and graduate education occurring at SEBS/NJAES. He will work closely with the School of Graduate Studies to make sure our policies, practices, and procedures are in alignment and understood by students and faculty. In alignment with goals set forth in the Rutgers New Brunswick Academic Plan, Gerben’s office will support student success, expand pathways for students to achieve their career goals, and foster collaborations across Rutgers-New Brunswick schools and Rutgers University as a whole. He will work closely with both the Dean of Research and the Dean of Academic Programs to support graduate education, including 4+1 programs, online masters, doctoral programs, and TA/GA allocations.
I am delighted to have Gerben join the SEBS/NJAES leadership team. I have had the pleasure to get to know Gerben through his active participation in faculty committees and value his experience and perspective. He and I have discussed some of the short-term and long-term challenges and opportunities we face in graduate education, and I am confident that Gerben will provide critical leadership that foregrounds our collective commitment to graduate education at SEBS and Rutgers as a whole. Please join me in welcoming Gerben to this new role.
