Jennifer Margrett named interim associate dean for research and graduate education
Iowa State University professor Jennifer Margrett will serve as interim associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Human Sciences beginning August 1. Photo by Ryan Riley
Jennifer Margrett, a professor in human development and family studies at Iowa State University and director of the ISU interdepartmental gerontology program, has been named interim associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Human Sciences. The appointment is effective August 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020.
“Dr. Margrett brings a solid history of leadership as director of the gerontology program,” said Laura Jolly, Dean’s Chair and dean of the College of Human Sciences. “She also has expertise in team and multidisciplinary research. As interim associate dean, she will be a strong advocate for excellence in research and graduate education.”
Margrett researches everyday functioning, cognition, and optimal aging of humans throughout adulthood. She works collaboratively on multi-institutional research that investigates health and wellness and the benefits of engineered technologies for aging adults — and outreach projects that prepare communities for future challenges. In her studies, she blends knowledge of psychology with a focus on human development and behavior.
She is a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America, and president of the American Psychological Association Division on Adult Development and Aging.
She has drawn externally funding for research from organizations that include the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Administration for Community Living, Administration on Aging, and National Institute on Aging.
The on-campus gerontology master’s and doctoral degree programs at Iowa State were developed under Margrett’s leadership and approved by the Iowa Board of Regents in August 2014. She is a faculty member in the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance and has served as gerontology faculty lead for Great Plains IDEA.
A search for a permanent associate dean will be launched in fall 2019.
Brenda Lohman served as associate dean for research and graduate education from October 1, 2017 through July 31, 2019. She will leave Iowa State to join the faculty at the University of Missouri as professor and chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Science, beginning August 1.