It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Judy Kim as Dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), effective July 1, 2025.
Kim has extensive experience in graduate, professional and postdoctoral leadership, including serving as Interim Dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs since July 2024. She was previously appointed Senior Associate Dean in 2021 and Associate Dean in 2018.
During her tenure in GEPA, she has provided instrumental leadership in advancing the mission of GEPA in alignment with UC San Diego’s Strategic Plan. She has also expanded GEPA engagement on campus with, for example, the inaugural UC San Diego GEPA Awards.
As Dean, she will continue to oversee the areas of graduate education and postdoctoral scholar affairs. She will provide valuable leadership to a multifaceted division that serves more than 10,300 graduate and professional students and 1,200 postdoctoral scholars. As part of this effort, Kim will continue to collaborate with campus partners to holistically support the academic and professional journeys of graduate and professional students as well as postdoctoral scholars.
Kim’s research interests focus on biophysical chemistry and spectroscopy. She has dedicated much of her time to mentoring researchers in her laboratory. She has also participated in campus-wide programs that empower future leaders in science and research, including the McNair Program, Competitive EDGE, and the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD) program. She is also engaged with the San Diego community as a volunteer for the Expanding Your Horizons Conference and the Fleet Science Center. Among her many accomplishments, she is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and past recipient of the National Science Foundation Career Award.
We would also like to extend our hearty thanks to the Search Committee, in particular Dean Carol Padden, who served as chair of the committee, for their dedication to the search process and to ensuring a wide variety of voices and perspectives were included in the search process.
Please join us in congratulating Judy Kim on her appointment and thanking her for her dedication and contributions to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. We look forward to her continued leadership and commitment to GEPA and the greater UC San Diego community.
