Email Us
Central to our mission is connecting doctoral students with people who can support them in their work. Whether you’re a student, a professor, an advisor, or anyone else who works with doctoral students, we’d love to hear from you:
Email us at drsp@library.illinois.edu.
Connect with Us
Let’s keep in touch. Currently you can find us on Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram.
Meet the Team
Joe Lenkart – International Reference Librarian, University Library
I remember a line from a Robert Duvall movie: “Being happy ain’t nothin’ more than havin’ something to look forward to.” I look forward to doing reference work and supporting researchers with and without institutional affiliation. I have been working at the University Library for eleven years; during that time, I have worked with doctoral students from around the world and throughout their graduate careers. Witnessing their journey through the doctoral program has been inspiring; I admire their spirit and share in their excitement at discovering a new source or information outlet. The global intellectual landscape, with its unbounded diversity and curiosity, connects all of us. Discovering its endlessly varied topography is pure joy. We are kindred spirits. I am committed to your academic and social success and wish to offer my support when you need it the most. I hold a BA in history, an MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and an MS in Library Science.
Carolyn Wisniewski – Director, Writers Workshop, Center for Writing Studies
As a teacher, scholar, and academic administrator, I am committed to learning that takes place during one-on-one teaching of writing. Before joining the Writers Workshop as its Director five years ago, I worked in four university writing centers, an athletic tutoring center, and a non-profit community literacy center. I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses in persuasive writing, public writing, writing research methods, composition theory and pedagogy, and writing center theory, research, and practice. In 2018, I was awarded a research grant from the Council of Writing Program Administrators to support a study of how graduate instructors from across the disciplines learn to respond to student writing. I have also worked with a team of writing center consultants to conduct a mixed-method, comparative study of face-to-face and online tutorial sessions, the results of which are forthcoming in The Writing Center Journal. I hold a BA, MA, and PhD in English, with an emphasis in Writing Studies.
Tabitha Cochran – PhD Candidate, Department of History
As a doctoral student myself, I am deeply familiar with the challenging and exciting process of developing effective, sustainable habits for research and writing. I also work in the International and Area Studies Library and assist with Slavic collection development, cataloging, and reference questions, as well as curate the SRS’s Russian Books of the 18th Century collection. I am passionate about making the wealth of knowledge in the University Library accessible to all who seek it. I hold a BA in Russian Studies and International Studies, an MA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and an MS in Library and Information Science.
Ashley Mueth – MS LIS Student, iSchool
As a writer and researcher, I enjoy constructing advanced search techniques using databases and other resources to help researchers find the most relevant information for learning about a topic. In my spare time, I’m a poetry editor for CentraLit Magazine and volunteer in Children’s Services at Champaign Public Library. Before joining the MLIS program at UIUC, I was a graduate assistant in special collections at Morris Library and taught introductory composition in the English Department at SIUC. Now I work in the Literature and Languages Library, Ricker Library of Art and Architecture, and the International Area Studies Library on UIUC’s campus providing reference assistance and practicing collection, website, and social media development. I hold an AA, BA in Literatures, Languages, and International Studies, BA in English, and an MA in English.
Trix Welch – MS LIS Student, iSchool
As a graduate student myself, I know that grad school can easily become a difficult and isolating time. As such, I love to create new opportunities for students to connect and create community with one another. For the past year I’ve worked with the Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support Unit to teach first year students about information literacy and research skills, and provide one-on-one research consultations. I also facilitate workshops for the Office of Undergraduate Research to prepare students to present and talk about their research. I earned my BA in History at Cal State East Bay, am currently earning my MS in Library & Information Science, and have research interests in LGBTQ+ history and queer information studies. I am excited to be working with the Doctoral Research Support Program this semester to create some fun and informative workshops and programming for our doctoral students!