Jan is Professor of Gerontology and Director of the Gerontology Institute in the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her team produces and distributes the Elder Index, a cost-of-living measure for older adults in every county throughout the U.S. 

Professor Mutchler conducts research on socioeconomic, cultural, and family-based factors as they relate to outcomes central to well-being in later life, including health, financial well-being, and family relationships. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (Behavioral and Social Sciences Section) and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy and Research on Aging. 

Dr. Mutchler earned her PhD in Sociology, with a specialization in demography, at the University of Texas Austin.