South SFV Today

Paula V. Welander has been named associate vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. Welander brings extensive experience in cross-disciplinary work and diversity, equity, and inclusion to the position. In her new role, she will focus on helping graduate students and postdoctoral scholars prepare for and find academic jobs.

“I want to help students understand that there are multiple roles in the professoriate, and that all levels are valuable,” said Welander, a microbiologist who currently serves at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability as associate dean for integrative initiatives in DEI, professor of Earth system science and, by courtesy, of biology and of Earth and planetary sciences.

She also aims to help prospective professors understand the wide range of academic positions available, including teaching at a liberal arts college, conducting research at a university with a large graduate student population, and working at institutions with significant populations of underrepresented students.

“Dr. Welander is a respected scholar and academic leader who has a proven track record of supporting graduate students and postdocs,” said Stacey Bent, vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs. “Her deep experience will be invaluable for the work she will support as associate vice provost, including mentoring and advising initiatives, postdoc professional development, and academic career preparation for students and postdocs.”

Welander’s research focuses on lipid compounds produced by microbes used by geomicrobiologists to study early life on Earth. “These molecules are preserved in the rock record and we can use them to understand past climate events or to inform models of the climate that is happening now – and potentially predict the impacts of climate change in the future,” she explained.

Working at the intersection of microbiology and geology since her postdoctoral work has taught Welander about cross-disciplinary communication. This experience aids her in advising students studying sustainability-related topics which often draw from fields like economics and public policy alongside science.

“I understand how it can be hard to merge two disciplines,” she noted. “One of the hardest things was learning how to communicate with scientists outside my field.”

Welander is familiar with challenges faced by students searching for academic jobs or transitioning into professorships. “When you’re a grad student or a postdoc, you’re focused on your own projects within a group,” she said. “When you become faculty, you’re leading a group... You’re basically managing a little business.”

Additionally, some disciplines face difficult hiring environments for aspiring professors. “It feels like the number of faculty positions is going down while standards are getting higher," she observed. "That’s part of why students need to consider if an academic job fits into who they are.”

Welander aims to enhance Stanford’s current programs supporting graduate students during this transition period. “How can we make this institution better? How can we make life for our students and postdocs better?”