A mentor is more than an adviser. A mentor provides you with wisdom, technical knowledge, assistance, support, empathy and respect throughout, and often beyond, your graduate career. Mentoring helps students understand how their ambitions fit into graduate education, department life and career choices. An effective mentoring relationship develops over time. The student benefits from the mentor’s support, skills, wisdom and coaching. Later, both people deepen their working relationship, perhaps collaborating on projects in which the student develops into a junior…
Throughout your training, but especially in the postdoc experience, your faculty supervisor plays a significant role with you and your future. We know there is a full spectrum of what faculty have to offer and how this matches with what you need. From what we have learned, it can take “managing up” and being proactive in your relationship with your faculty advisor to make it work for you. The National Postdoc Association recently posted a blog with exceptional tips for…
This newsletter was sent from the Graduate School Dean to UW leadership on October 7, 2026. Letter from the Dean Dear colleagues and friends of the Graduate School, As we begin a new academic year, I’m grateful to welcome our graduate community back to the University of Washington and to continue our shared work to provide an exceptional graduate education for every student. That work requires us to keep asking difficult questions about where we are succeeding, where students face barriers…
This email was sent to GPAs and GPCs on October 7, 2026. Letter from the Dean Dear GPAs and GPCs, As we begin a new academic year, I’m grateful to welcome our graduate community back to the University of Washington and to continue our shared work to provide an exceptional graduate education for every student. As GPAs and GPCs, you are essential partners in that work, helping students navigate their programs, connecting them with resources and support, and often seeing…
This newsletter was sent from the Graduate School Dean to UW leadership on July 2, 2026. Letter from the Dean Dear colleagues, As another academic year ends, I want to thank you for your partnership over the past year. It has been a privilege to work alongside so many dedicated faculty, staff and campus leaders who are deeply committed to supporting graduate education and advancing the University of Washington’s mission. There is much to celebrate! Throughout the year, our graduate students have continued…
Anjum Hajat receives 2026 Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award The University of Washington Graduate School has named Anjum Hajat, associate professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health, as the recipient of the 2026 Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award. Presented annually, the Landolt Award is among the University’s highest honors for graduate mentorship. It recognizes a faculty member whose work reflects an exceptional commitment to supporting graduate students academically, professionally and personally and whose mentorship…
Each year, thousands of PhD students across the University of Washington push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation. Their research shapes our communities, advances public good and prepares the next generation of leaders to tackle the challenges ahead. Now, a new university-wide initiative is setting out to ensure that the UW’s PhD programs continue to thrive in a rapidly changing world. The Ph.D. Task Force, a joint initiative of the Provost’s Office and the Graduate School, has officially launched. Its…
University of Washington Professor Hannah C. Wiley, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Dance within the College of Arts & Sciences, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award. Professor Wiley has been a cornerstone of the UW dance community since joining the faculty in 1987. In 1991, she founded the Chamber Dance Company, a vital initiative dedicated to producing, preserving, and sharing modern and contemporary dance repertoire with audiences across the region. The Landolt Award is one…