Posted on August 7, 2026 by College of Sciences
#StaffSpotlight
Edward Johns, Senior Program Manager for Graduate Studies, College of Sciences Office of the Dean
Degrees Earned/Where you earned them:
B.A. Classics, University of Manchester
Please tell us about yourself.
I'm originally from London, England, but made the big move "across the pond" to San Antonio in 2023 and have quickly come to call Texas home. I'm married and a proud new dad to our one-month-old son, so life outside of work is currently centered around family, figuring out this whole parenting thing, and learning to function on very little sleep. I am a big sports fan and I spend most of my free time either watching football (both kinds!) or playing golf. I enjoy getting outside, exploring all that Texas has to offer and enjoying the weather—I've become a strong advocate for the Texas heat and will happily argue that 100-degree days are far better than the miserable cold, wind, and seemingly endless rain that many of us Brits grow up with.
What did your journey to UT San Antonio look like?
I joined UT San Antonio shortly after moving to San Antonio in 2024 at the Department of Chemistry as a Senior Program Coordinator, managing the Ph.D. and M.S. programs for a little over two years before recently joining the Dean's Office as Senior Program Manager for Graduate Studies.
How would you describe your role at UT San Antonio in 10 words or less?
Operational and procedural efficiency and student support, success, and wellbeing.
What is your proudest moment with the College of Sciences?
Throughout my time in Chemistry, I worked with both the graduate students and senior leadership to make as many improvements to processes, communication and student success as possible. However, in hindsight, my proudest achievement was probably one of the first things I did, which was to help restart the department's Graduate Student Organization (GSO).
The GSO provided—and continues to provide—a dedicated group of students that helped organize and plan events, gather and deliver feedback and help implement meaningful and valuable changes. They are responsible for many of the great things that happen and are beneficial to the graduate students in that department, and I am proud to have helped restart that.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Helping people! Whether it's students, staff or faculty, my priority has always been to help those that need it. We are lucky within COS to have such fantastic colleagues within each and every department, and working with everyone that I do towards the common goal of supporting our students makes this college so nice to work in.
How would you spend your ideal Saturday?
With college football season rapidly approaching, it is difficult not to just say watching that all day... ideally my Saturday starts by watching Chelsea win, taking my dog for a walk on the many trails around here, spending time with my wife and our newborn son, and ending it by having good food and drinks listening to live music somewhere with friends.
What are your book recommendations?
The only books I have read in the last year have been pregnancy/newborn baby related, so it's difficult to think of anything else right now. If anyone out there was as scared as I was going into fatherhood, I'd recommend We're Pregnant! The First Time Dad's Pregnancy Handbook by Adrian Kulp, which massively helped me along the way.
— College of Sciences
