Janel Owens, Ph.D.

Dr. Janel Owens serves as the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School and as Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Dr. Owens is passionate about mentorship having had amazing role models throughout her undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral training. Dr. Owens started supporting the Graduate School mission in the 2024-2025 academic year when she served as the Faculty Fellow. In fall 2025, Dr. Owens started her role as Assistant Dean of the Graduate School to support graduate student success via mentorship, overseeing the funding mechanisms of the Graduate School, and developing resources to support graduate student professional development and teaching.

Dr. Owens also actively mentors undergraduate and graduate research students in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Her research interests focus on the use of chromatography and mass spectrometry to analyze drugs of forensic interest in post-mortem toxicology. Other ongoing projects in her research lab are focused on the determination of personal care products and other pollutants in household dust, which is a major sink of air contaminants in indoor spaces. She was inducted into the Office of Sponsored Programs & Research Integrity Million Dollar Club in 2015. Her work has been funded by the Shimadzu Corporation, the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Educational Partnership program.