IJOBS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Enrollment and Academic Services
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Research Associate
Briana Bivens (she/her) received her Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Practice and her M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia. Her work focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic planning, and she collaborates directly with graduate students to envision and create more equitable and affirming educational experiences. Informed by her doctoral work and her many years engaged in multi-issue community organizing, Briana's scholarship and advocacy explores community-based education, child and family care policy, and sustainability in transformative, justice-oriented social movements. Briana loves spending time with her two dogs, learning new board games, and reading speculative fiction that can help us imagine and create more just ways of being and living.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean
- Associate Dean and Chief Diversity Officer
Dr. Evelyn Erenrich is Associate Dean for Recruitment and Retention and Chief Diversity Officer at the School of Graduate Studies. Her current efforts focus on developing and implementing strategies to promote equity, access, and inclusive excellence in graduate education. During 21 years at SGS, she has overseen initiatives which have significantly increased the number of underrepresented students earning PhDs. She directs pathway programs including an undergraduate summer research program and serves as co-PI on NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates sites. In addition, she manages a substantial portfolio of fellowships to broaden participation in doctoral programs. Dr. Erenrich also serves as Rutgers lead on several multi-institutional consortia, including the Big Ten Academic Alliance's National Research Mentoring Network and the legacy NSF Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education & the Professoriate. Her current scholarship involves holistic admissions in graduate education and the role of mentoring in promoting academic and career success. Prior to her role at SGS, she served as an Associate Teaching Professor in the Rutgers Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, where she introduced curricular innovations and developed early intervention strategies for at-risk students. Before her work in academia, Dr. Erenrich was a research scientist and manager in industry, developing enzyme-based biosensors. She earned her PhD in Chemistry at Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Department of Pharmacology
A biophysicist by training, Dr. Jerry Langer's research focused on the early immune response to viruses, advancing our understanding of interferons and their receptors, as well as our understanding of the physiological roles of interferons. He is also deeply passionate about teaching and student development He has a steadfast commitment to increasing the diversity of students in academia in the biomedical workforce. Dr. Langer's efforts have been recognized both internally and externally, earning him the Rutgers University "Leaders in Faculty Diversity Award," the "Dean's Award for Extraordinary Service to the School of Graduate Studies," as well as the award of multiple NIH training grants.
Dr. Langer's dedication to increasing the diversity of students at Rutgers began in 1993. At that time, he helped lead a summer research experience and mentor program for undergraduate students from groups underrepresented in the biological/biomedical sciences. Then, he recruited to become co-PI of our NIGMS/NIH-funded "Initiative to Maximize Student Diversity" (IMSD) Program in 1998 and the "Bridge to the Doctoral Program: the University of Puerto Rico to Rutgers" in 2000. He became the lead PI of both grants in 2011.
Through his advocacy and mentorship, Dr. Langer has helped shepherd more than 120 Ph.D. and M.S. students through these programs. These young, diverse, and talented scientists have continued into a variety of science careers, including teaching and research positions in academia and industry; science writing; science teaching at other levels, and professional positions with science organizations. He is happy to share and continue this important work with his fellow IMSD Directors, Drs. Tracy Scott and Loren Runnels.
Job Titles:
- Special Projects Coordinator
- Principal Investigator and Director / Special Projects Coordinator, School of Graduate Studies RBHS - NB
Dr. Tracy Scott joined Drs. Loren Runnels and Jerry Langer as one of the Directors of the IMSD program in 2023, after working with the IMSD program for several years as the program coordinator. She is currently a Special Projects Coordinator with the School of Graduate Studies/Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) and is involved in many projects geared towards the betterment of the biomedical graduate students' experience, including initiatives to improve both diversity education and outreach. In addition, Dr. Scott is also the program director for the BEACON (Biomedical Excellence Achieved through COaching Networks) program, a new and novel 5-year study funded by the NIH to evaluate the positive effects of Coaching on biomedical PhD academic achievement.
Dr. Scott's research in Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers involved mathematical modeling of muscle fibers to determine the effects of stunning on myocardial tissue and modeling of flow in collapsible vessels to show a connection between chaotic flow within a collapsible or stenotic vessel and the ischemic episodes that produce myocardial stunning. She has also worked on actuating nanofibers for a tissue engineering scaffold that would contract, without muscle being present, while providing a foundation for muscle regeneration in vivo, allowing the "muscle" to be useful before muscle regeneration.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate Dean, Associate Professor
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Graduate Academic and Student Affairs, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Postdoctoral Affairs, Associate Professor
Job Titles:
- Vice Dean
- Vice Dean, School of Graduate Studies
Job Titles:
- Director
- Principal Investigator
- Professor, Department of Pharmacology
The focus of the Runnels laboratory is to understand the role that ions such as calcium magnesium, and zinc play in living organisms. Dr. Runnels' current research focus is on the function of the TRPM7 and TRPM6 ion channels, which transport these divalent cations, and their contribution to human health and disease. He also has a strong interest and commitment to graduate education and the potential of graduate students to make a positive impact on this world. Throughout his years at Rutgers, Dr. Runnels has contributed to Rutgers University's commitment to diversity in its graduate programs by working on admissions and interview committees for diversity programs. He was previously a PI on the Bridges to the Doctorate: UPR to Rutgers Program and in 2021, joined as a PI on the T32 IMSD training grant. Dr. Runnels is also deeply interested in innovative approaches to empower graduate student success. He is a PI on a new and novel 5-year study funded by the NIH to evaluate the positive effects of professional coaching on biomedical PhD academic achievement. The new program, called BEACON (Biomedical Excellence Achieved through COaching Networks) program, is schedule to begin in the fall of 2024. Dr. Runnels also serves as the Research Ombudsperson for Rutgers RWJMS and is committed to success of researchers at Rutgers at all levels.
Job Titles:
- Dean, School of Graduate Studies / Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Mercer received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Vassar university and is now a chemistry PhD candidate at Rutgers University. His research is focused on developing homogeneous electrocatalysts for hydrogenation reactions for cleaner and safer chemical synthesis methods. Mercer Joined the SGS DEI team in 2023 to help promote an inclusive environment in Rutgers graduate programs.
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator at the School of Graduate Studies
- RISE Program Coordinator
Rex is the Program Coordinator at the School of Graduate Studies. He earned his Bachelor's degrees in Global Studies and Spanish at the University of Illinois. As a student he fell into a few underrepresented categories: low income, first generation, and a veteran. Those experiences inspired him to work in academia, to help build and reinforce the support systems many underrepresented students rely on to overcome the obstacles of higher education. He is a stalwart advocate for diversity because of the strength and value it brings the community. If you don't run into him at a cultural event on campus, you're welcome to pop into his office for a chat/assistance in the SGS Office. In his spare time he likes to dance Bachata, take photos of his pets, coach MMA, and discover new disc golf courses with his wife.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Graduate Academic and Student Affairs, Director of MBS, and Associate Professor