Patrick Carter has been named as the permanent associate dean for research and graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. His appointment became official on Oct. 1, 2025, after serving as interim associate dean since June 1, 2024.
Carter is a professor of biological sciences focusing on evolutionary physiology and genetics. He was the director of the School of Biological Sciences from 2017–24 and served as associate director for undergraduate programs from 2010–17.
“My primary objective is to help create an environment in which WSU students, faculty, and staff can be successful and achieve their educational and professional goals,” said Carter. “This is especially challenging in this era of changing university landscapes and shifts in research priorities, and I want to do everything I can to help our students, faculty, and staff meet those challenges.”
Carter was awarded the WSU Outstanding Director of the Year Award in 2020, given to faculty leadership who demonstrate educational innovation and professional stewardship, and the WSU President’s Award for Safety, Health, and Security in 2024.
“Associate Dean Carter has been an incredible resource for faculty and graduate students,” said CAS Dean Courtney Meehan. “His commitment to research excellence and dedication to the well-being of our faculty, graduate programs, and students will continue to strengthen the College of Arts and Sciences in the years ahead.”
Carter’s research focuses on the integrated phenotype, or how various traits interact with one another to function within a whole organism. By utilizing methods and ideas from comparative physiology, evolutionary genetics, and physiological ecology, Carter investigates the relative effects of selection and drift on trait evolution. In addition to his research portfolio and duties, Carter also continues to advise biology and zoology doctoral students as they work to complete their degrees and dissertations.
“Research and graduate education are foundational in a land-grant university. WSU serves the people and institutions of the state of Washington, and we must provide new research, knowledge, and scholarship to improve the lives of the people of our state,” said Carter. “To keep those new improvements occurring over time, we also need to educate and train the next generation of researchers and scholars. WSU is fundamental to the well-being of our state.”
