Dr. Jackie McDermott joined the Purdue Engineering Dean’s Office for Graduate Education in August 2018 and is the Associate Director of Graduate Student Excellence. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Hofstra University (with minors in Spanish and Biochemistry) and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Brandeis University. As the first in her family to earn a graduate degree, she is deeply committed to supporting students throughout their graduate journey and ensuring they are equipped to succeed in graduate school and beyond.

In her role, Dr. McDermott leads efforts to advance graduate student success across Purdue Engineering’s locations in Indianapolis and West Lafayette. She oversees initiatives that build strong research communities, enhance academic and professional career preparation, and support the growth of professional graduate programs in Indianapolis. She also develops communication strategies that highlight student achievements, aligns graduate program efforts across locations, and promotes a culture of collaboration and excellence. Her areas of expertise include program management and structures, graduate student access and professional development, recruitment and outreach, partnership building, and data-informed student support.

Jackie serves as Co-PI on two Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grants focused on expanding access to graduate education in engineering. Her current research examines mentoring models and program scaling, graduate student community and support structures, cross-institutional collaboration, and faculty and postdoctoral mentoring frameworks. She is the founder of EngGAP, a professional community for engineering graduate education practitioners, and advisor to the Engineering Academic Career Club (EACC), a student- and postdoc-led group focused on academic career preparation. She is also an active member of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) and NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management.