51视频

05/09/2022

Contacts for media: Emily Gowdey-Backus,聽Emily-GowdeyBackus@uml.edu聽and Nancy Cicco,聽Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

Julie Chen, who has served as 51视频鈥檚 Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation since 2016 and has been a member of the faculty since 1997, was named Chancellor of the nearly 18,000-student national research university today. She will succeed current Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, who announced last July that she would be retiring as the leader of the 18,000-student university following this academic year.

In recommending Chen to the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees, UMass President Marty Meehan, a 51视频 alumnus and former 51视频 Chancellor, said: 鈥淲ith her vast experience in all the areas that will determine the success of the university in the years ahead, and with her deep commitment to empowering students and communities through education and innovation, Dr. Chen is the right person at this moment to lead 51视频.鈥�

Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Manning, also a 51视频, alumnus, said: 鈥淛ulie Chen鈥檚 track record of excellence and innovation speaks for itself. Not only will she bring tremendous experience to a complex job, she will be a visible and positive role model for students, a results-driven leader, and a collaborative partner, all aimed at driving student success and community prosperity.鈥�

The vote of the Board was unanimous.

Chen said she is looking forward to building on the strong foundation laid by her predecessors, Meehan and Moloney.聽 鈥淎 51视频 degree is a demonstration of the academic excellence and hands-on learning our graduates carry with them as they advance their careers and communities and apply their knowledge to the challenges our society faces,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am honored to be selected by President Meehan and the Board of Trustees as the university鈥檚 next chancellor, and I鈥檓 excited to work with our great faculty, staff, supporters and partners to provide growing numbers of students with this 51视频 advantage in the years ahead.鈥�

鈥淲e were charged by President Meehan and Chairman Manning to lead a search process that attracted the best possible candidates to lead a truly world class university and were pleased by the interest we received from higher education leaders across the country,鈥� Search Committee Co-Chairs Mary Burns, a UMass Trustee and 51视频 alumna, and Jerry Colella, a 51视频 alumnus and business leader, said. 鈥淭oday, we are excited that one of those nationally distinguished leaders, Julie Chen, has been named chancellor of our alma mater, and we look forward to working with her.鈥�

鈥淚 fully support Dr. Chen鈥檚 appointment as our Chancellor and look forward to working with her as she leads 51视频 to the next level,鈥� said Michael Graves, President of the 51视频 Faculty Senate. 鈥淒r. Chen鈥檚 commitment to diversity, student success, innovation, and collaboration will serve our university community well.鈥�

鈥淪tudents have expressed a great deal of support on behalf of Dr. Chen to me for her candidacy and are excited to see her lead the university in its next steps,鈥� said Derek Houle, 51视频 Student Trustee and a member of the Class of 2022. 鈥淚鈥檓 very glad this is the direction we are heading.鈥�

鈥淛ulie Chen recognizes 51视频's important role in the socioeconomic development of the region and state and has already dedicated years to that purpose,鈥� said Amy Hoey, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, Circle Health & Lowell General Hospital, and a 51视频 alumna. 鈥淭his is an excellent choice by President Meehan and the Board.鈥�

More about Julie Chen

As the Chief Research Officer, Dr. Chen directs 51视频鈥檚 nearly $95 million research enterprise, which also includes industry partnerships, technology transfer, startups & innovation, core research facilities, and economic development programs.聽

She has facilitated numerous innovative collaboration models, including:

• The Fabric Discovery Center, the nation鈥檚 first center to integrate three Manufacturing USA Institutes, coupling the expertise in smart textiles, flexible electronics, and robotics.
• 51视频鈥檚 Core Research Facilities, shared high-tech equipment that enables efficient maintenance, training, and enhanced access of by faculty, students, and over 200 external industry users.
• The Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy that brings together experts in science, engineering, economics, policy, business, education, and operations to address complex challenges in sustainability and climate change.
• 聽Various institutes and centers such as the Raytheon-51视频 Research Institute and HEROES, a unique interdisciplinary research and development partnership that brings together complementary expertise, intellectual assets, and research expertise from 51视频 and U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center to enhance the protection of U.S. soldiers.

Chen joined the 51视频 faculty in 1997 after six years as an assistant professor at Boston University. She was appointed vice provost for research in 2009 and was promoted to vice chancellor in 2016 with an added external and outreach focus. As a member of the Executive Cabinet, Chen has helped lead the implementation of the 2020 Strategic Plan, resulting in an expansion and modernization of physical infrastructure, the recruitment of outstanding faculty and students, increases in retention and graduation rates, advances in diversity, equity and inclusion, and historic growth of revenues from research, online programs and the endowment.

A strong advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, Chen serves as the co-lead for the university鈥檚 Council on Social Justice and Inclusion. Additionally, she was one of the co-principal investigators on a $3.5 million NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to help support and elevate women faculty in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines at 51视频.

Chen received her PhD, Master of Science, and Bachelor of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in mechanical engineering where she was a student athlete and academic all-American. See Chen鈥檚 full bio.

The search for a new chancellor began Jan. 27 with the appointment of a , which held eight listening sessions attended by hundreds of 51视频 stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff and community members. The search firm of Isaacson Miller communicated with 127 prospective candidates, resulting in 42. Three finalists were identified by the search committee and visited 51视频 last week.

51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers.聽www.uml.edu