UCI alumnus Owen Shimizu has been appointed the new Academic Graduate Coordinator for the School of Biological Sciences. As the new coordinator, he will manage the logistics of the teaching labs. He will also work alongside professors and teaching assistants to provide the best possible experience for students taking undergraduate core biological science labs. 

Owen has been with UCI for over 25 years. He began working with the school in 1995, after graduating with a B.S. in 1994.  Since then, Owen has earned a second B.S. in Psychology from the School of Social Sciences while working as a lab assistant. Eventually, he taught some undergraduate lab classes as well.

Owen’s experience at BioSci allows him to observe students “experiencing science up close,” which motivates him to continue bridging the gap between research and teaching.  “As long as there are students out there enjoying science, it’s a good thing [that I’m doing my job],” says Owen.

Owen currently oversees the testing of lab protocols and focuses primarily on the physiology and microbiology labs. His duties include communicating with vendors to order solutions, media and other critical supplies. He ensures that the students and professors are in an environment where they can adequately demonstrate experiments. 

When he isn’t working for BioSci, Owen enjoys running obstacle courses and exercising.  Due to COVID, he has stuck to virtual races for the time being.  He occasionally has game nights with his friends over Zoom and relishes spending time with his family at home.