Beckman leadership
Steve Maren
Email: smaren@illinois.edu
Stephen Maren is director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and professor of psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he joined the faculty in 2024. Maren’s research seeks to understand the neural basis of anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. He earned his B.S. at Illinois and his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles. He's held tenured faculty positions at the University of Michigan and Texas A&M University.
The associate director for research oversees Beckman's research enterprise and shared research facilities. The leaders of Beckman's core facilities report to her, as does Beckman's human participants research coordinator.
Reporting to the director
Cristina Alvarez Mingote
Email: alvarez9@illinois.edu
Shawna Graddy
Email: sgraddy@illinois.edu
The associate director for administration oversees these groups:
Administrative business services
Budget and resource planning
Facilities (including security and shipping and receiving)
Meg Dickinson
Email: megd@illinois.edu
Stacy Olson
Email: srolson@illinois.edu
Administrative support staff
Julie A. McCartney
Email: juliemc@illinois.edu
Manages space reservations and supervises Beckman administrative staff members.
Manages space reservations and supervises Beckman administrative staff members.
Julian Gonzalez
Email: jbgonza2@illinois.edu
Welcomes visitors to the Beckman Institute and assists with space reservations.
Welcomes visitors to the Beckman Institute and assists with space reservations.
William Mullins
Email: wmullins@illinois.edu
Supports the Integrative Imaging research theme with purchasing, and scheduling events. Assists with Beckman Institute research proposal preparation, oversees the planning and organization of research conferences and performs administrative duties in support of research groups.
Supports the Integrative Imaging research theme with purchasing, and scheduling events. Assists with Beckman Institute research proposal preparation, oversees the planning and organization of research conferences and performs administrative duties in support of research groups.
Mary Power
Email: mpower@illinois.edu
Supports the Beckman Connect and Engage Committee and assists Beckman's departments with scheduling and event planning. Manages purchasing and travel for Beckman staff members.
Supports the Beckman Connect and Engage Committee and assists Beckman's departments with scheduling and event planning. Manages purchasing and travel for Beckman staff members.
Laura Thurlwell
Email: thurlwel@illinois.edu
Arranges travel for Beckman researchers, completes travel reimbursements, oversees the planning and organization of research conferences and performs administrative duties in support of research groups.
Arranges travel for Beckman researchers, completes travel reimbursements, oversees the planning and organization of research conferences and performs administrative duties in support of research groups.
Research theme leaders
Integrative Imaging
Mariana Kersh
Email: mkersh@illinois.edu
Michael L. Oelze
Email: oelze@illinois.edu
Intelligent Systems
Gabriele Gratton
Email: grattong@illinois.edu
Daniel Llano
Email: d-llano@illinois.edu
Molecular Science and Engineering
Ying Diao
Email: yingdiao@illinois.edu
Joaquin Rodriguez Lopez
Email: joaquinr@illinois.edu
Committees
Beckman's various committees advise the leadership team. They include:
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology