Jozef Vigh, a dedicated professor and researcher at Colorado State University, has stepped into a new leadership role as the associate dean of the Graduate School. With a rich background in mentoring students and conducting impactful research, Vigh brings his passion and expertise to this significant role.

Vigh, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences since 2007, will continue his faculty appointment in the department while increasing the support the Graduate School provides to graduate programs. In his new role, Vigh will provide administrative leadership from graduate student admission to graduation. His focus includes faculty mentoring and other programmatic support for graduate students. His goal? Enhancing opportunities for every CSU graduate student.

“Throughout my career, I’ve helped students succeed and made an impact in the lab,” Vigh said. “I’m honored to now work on expanding opportunities for all CSU graduate students.”

Vigh is taking on many new responsibilities as the associate dean. Much of his career has centered on research and teaching, but in his new role, he will focus more on strategic planning, policy formation, operational procedures, and faculty engagement.

“Jozsef has hit the ground running. He is already planning faculty development programming around mentoring and moving forward with the Graduate School’s work to implement best practices in admissions, with the goal of making graduate education more accessible and inclusive,” said Colleen Webb, vice provost for graduate affairs and dean.

Transitioning to an administrative role

Vigh will keep the Graduate School’s operations focused on student success and will manage and improve the current programming on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice (DEIJ), mentoring, Inclusive Excellence Fellowships, and workforce development. He will also look for ways to further support administrators of graduate programs.

Past experiences have prepared Vigh for this role, including his work serving on the Graduate Education Committee for the Department of Biomedical Sciences since 2013 and as chair from 2018 to 2023.

Vigh has also shown leadership in his work on admissions processes and graduate support within his own department and interdisciplinary Special Academic Units.

For the past two years, Vigh has served as the Graduate Center for Inclusive Mentoring director. In this role, he has interfaced broadly with faculty, graduate students, and staff from many areas of campus, which has given him a more comprehensive understanding of CSU’s many graduate programs.

Webb said she has every confidence that Vigh will excel in his new position. “Jozsef is developing a new entry point into mentoring through faculty training and is working with other staff on our new peer mentoring program,” Webb said. “His fresh perspective will undoubtedly reinvigorate the work that we are already doing. I expect we will benefit from a lot of innovative work from Jozsef.”

Passion for research, teaching, and mentorship

Vigh is a first-generation college graduate who completed his doctoral degree in neurobiology and held his first faculty position in Hungary. He then worked in various research positions across the U.S. before joining CSU. His current NIH-funded research focuses on unraveling the complexities of opioid effects on sleep patterns and how this influences suicidal thoughts. Beyond research, he cherishes family time, gardening, hiking, and fishing.

Despite his new administrative duties, Vigh’s heart remains in teaching. “I still get an adrenaline rush in the classroom or lab. Teaching and discovering are central to who I am,” he revealed.