GPS-STEM better prepares STEM scientists for a variety of careers within the STEM workforce, and empower them to become not only skilled scientists, but also polished professionals.

We work to create, identify and support innovative approaches to broaden the graduate and postdoctoral training.

GPS-STEM Leadership

Lauren Lyon, M.A., LPCC

Program Director of GPS-STEM

Lauren joined UCI in 2017 where she served as the Assistant Director of Career Education for Graduate Students at the Division of Career Pathways for nearly 7 years. She previously worked as a mental health counselor where she provided counseling to the local community and K-12 populations. Lauren has extensive experience in graduate student career development, program management, and outreach. Beyond her work at UCI, Lauren serves as Adjunct Faculty at Pepperdine University, sharing her expertise with graduate students pursuing mental health careers through her “Career Development Theories & Techniques” course. She also actively contributes to campus well-being as a Wellness Ambassador. Leveraging her unique background in both career education and mental health, she inspires individuals to embrace holistic well-being within their career journeys.

Office: 4143 Natural Sciences II
Email: lauren.lyon@uci.edu

David Fruman, Ph.D.

Academic Director of GPS-STEM

Previously, David served as the Director of NIH-BEST funded GPS-BIOMED program from 2014 – 2019. Currently, he is the Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry in the School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine. In the past, he served as the director of the Cellular & Molecular Biosciences (CMB) interdepartmental Ph.D. program.

Office: 216 Sprague Hall
Email: dfruman@uci.edu

Advisory Board

Alexander Bower Educational Development Specialist for Grad Students & Postdocs at Division of Teaching Excellence & Innovation
Kayleigh Anderson Postdoctoral Affairs & Professional Development Manager at Division of Grad
Yergalem T. Meharenna Training Grant Officer at UCI
Matt Li Manager, Scalable Ventures at UCI Applied Innovation
Craig Walsh Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at Development and Cell Biology
Karina Cramer Associate Dean for Academic Personnel at the Charlie Dunlop School of BioSci
Craig Martens Vice-Chair, Graduate Affairs at Chemistry
David Mobley Professor at PharmSci
Francesco Tombola Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at School of Medicine
Goran Matijaseciv Liaison to Executive Round Table, Alum
Knut Solna Grad Avisor, Math at School of Physical Sciences
Scott Bartell Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at Wen School of Population & Public Health
Madhu Reddy Associate Dean of Grdaute Studies at School of Informatics and Computer Science

History

2023

GPS-STEM Progress & Impact Report

Written by: Joanne Ly, PhD and David Fruman, PhD

2019-2020

GPS-STEM Progress Report

Written by: Harinder Singh, PhD and David Fruman, PhD

In 2019, we transitioned to the current GPS-STEM program. Since then, we have expanded programming for trainees in all 4 STEM Schools by adding many new and innovative elements, keeping UCI at the forefront of career & professional development training in the country. A lot has changed since…

Read the Full Report

2014-2019

GPS-BIOMED

Est. 2014 | NIH Funded

GPS-BIOMED (2014 – 2019) was a NIH-funded program for UCI graduate students and postdocs in the biomedical sciences, and part of the campus-wide UCI-GPS (UC Irvine Graduate Professional Success) initiative. As the member of NIH-BEST Consortium, the program helped create, identify and support innovative approaches to broaden graduate and postdoctoral training. After 2019, the program transitioned to serve all STEM discipline PhD students & Postdocs with the help of institutional funding.