Dr. Eric C. Swindell is chief academic officer and dean of Van Andel Institute Graduate School, which offers an innovative and rigorous Ph.D. program that prepares students for successful careers as independent scientists.

Prior to joining the Graduate School, Dr. Swindell spent more than 25 years studying the biochemical and genetic factors that influence early development of vertebrates to better understand patterning, tissue growth and cell specification. He has deep expertise in classical genetic screening, biochemical analysis, high-resolution imaging and genetic and experimental techniques. Dr. Swindell earned a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Baylor College of Medicine, completing his dissertation research at the Max Planck Institute.

After carrying out postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Swindell started his own research group as an assistant professor in the McGovern Medical School in Houston. In 2015, he was appointed assistant dean of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where he was later promoted to associate dean in 2018. In 2021, Dr. Swindell moved to Baylor College of Medicine to serve as the associate dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He joined Van Andel Institute Graduate School in 2023