The Princeton University Graduate School will present Dr. Emily R. Miller with the GradFUTURES 2024 GRADitude Award. Miller is the Deputy Vice President for Institutional Policy at the Association of American Universities (AAU.) She is being recognized for her foundational and influential work in graduate student professional development, including her leadership of the AAU’s Ph.D. Education Initiative.

On Thursday, April 11, Miller will receive the award and join Princeton Graduate School Dean Rodney Priestley for a fireside chat to discuss the future of graduate education, the imperative of professional development, and the important role of the AAU in transforming lives through education, research, and innovation.

Members of the University community and the public are invited to attend the event at 4 pm EST in the Chancellor Green Rotunda.

The session is part of the 5th Annual GradFUTURES Forum, Princeton’s professional development conference for graduate students. This year’s theme is Building Clarity, Confidence, and Connections. The Forum features both in-person and online sessions and is open to the graduate community at Princeton and beyond. Sessions held in person will be recorded and distributed later that day via a private link to all registrants. If you can not attend an in-person session, be sure to register to receive the link. 

Princeton Graduate Students, Postdocs, Staff, and Faculty Register Here

Graduate Alumni & External Guests: View Entire Schedule & Register Here

According to Evangeline "Eva" Kubu, senior associate dean for professional development at the Princeton Graduate School, the GRADitude Award committee unanimously voted to recognize Miller's pioneering work in leading the AAU’s Ph.D. Education Initiative. The Committee pointed to the profound impact of this work in shifting institutional culture and the professional development paradigm of graduate institutions across the country. Kubu says, “Emily Miller's leadership at the AAU continues to shape the futures of the nation's talented and diverse community of scholars and researchers. Her work is a clarion call for professional development that positions students for lifelong success and impact in the ever-evolving future of work." 

Emily R. Miller has over 20 years of experience in higher education administration, research, and policy. In partnership with the AAU’s member research universities, she has primary responsibilities for advancing systemic organizational change initiatives in undergraduate and graduate education. Miller has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on evidence-informed innovations in undergraduate STEM and doctoral education, academic work and faculty reward structures, systemic organizational change at research universities, and multi-institutional strategies and approaches to advance equity and community in STEM disciplines. She earned her Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University, her MA in Education Policy and Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and her BA in Political Science from Gettysburg College.

The AAU's Ph.D. Education Initiative "aims to change the culture surrounding doctoral education at AAU member institutions so that graduate education is more student-centered, placing greater emphasis and focus on students as individuals with diverse educational and professional interests, needs, and challenges. The Initiative’s objective is to make the full range of Ph.D. career pathways visible, valued, and viable for all students." Since the Initiative's launch in September 2019, with an initial pilot involving eight member institutions, its influence has grown nationally and globally.

Learn More about the GradFUTURES GRADitude Award and its recipients.

Learn More about the 5th Annual GradFUTURES Forum.