Marieke Van Puymbroeck is vice-provost and dean of the Graduate School. Prior to joining the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Van Puymbroeck was an associate dean of the Graduate School and a professor of recreational therapy at Clemson University.

While at the Graduate School at Clemson, she developed the Graduate Center for Transformative Mentorship and a focus on nonacademic related readiness and scientific communication. Further, she was instrumental in enhancing health and well-being opportunities for graduate students.  As a recreational therapist and rehabilitation scientist, Van Puymbroeck has also previously held faculty positions at Indiana University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Van Puymbroeck’s research focused on the therapeutic benefits of yoga for people with neurological conditions and fall prevention for older adults.