USM Names Temple University's Dr. Michele Masucci as Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
Baltimore, Md. (Aug. 11, 2022) — University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Jay A. Perman has appointed Dr. Michele Masucci to the position of USM vice chancellor for research and economic development. Masucci joins the USM from Temple University, where she has served as both a faculty member and vice president for research.Reporting directly to Chancellor Perman, Masucci will be responsible for promoting and developing strategic research and business partnerships among the USM campuses, state and federal government, laboratories and agencies, corporations and industry, and other public and private higher education institutions. A major focus of these efforts will be areas of science and technology that impact the economic and workforce development of Maryland such as life sciences, clean energy, “big data,” cyber security, and advanced manufacturing.
In her current role at Temple, Masucci has been responsible for managing enterprise-wide grant services, research development, regulatory compliance, and technology transfer for all research activities across Temple University and in partnership with Temple Health.
She will join the USM on Sept. 6, 2022.
“Our University System has one of the most productive research enterprises in the U.S.,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “I’m excited to see how Dr. Masucci harnesses that R&D strength to ensure that more of our ideas and innovations have impact outside of our universities—that they’re translated into the products and companies that improve our lives and fuel prosperity. At Temple, Dr. Masucci has developed alliances and practices that stimulate and support pathbreaking research and accelerate tech transfer. We’re thrilled she’ll do the same for the USM.”
“I am deeply honored to be able to join the USM to advance its strategic goals in research, development, and technology transfer,” Masucci said. “I am looking forward to working with community, industry, and institutional partners to support the acceleration of research excellence across the system. I am also looking forward to focusing on the educational and research experiences that the USM institutions provide to students as a driver of workforce preparation and economic development across Maryland.”
In addition to her vice chancellor position, Masucci has an appointment in the Department of Geography & Environmental Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
Masucci first joined Temple in 1997 as a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies. At Temple University, she has served as department chair, center director, and research enterprise leader. She was appointed vice provost for research in 2012 and promoted to vice president in 2015 and was credited with managing a substantial increase in research productivity at Temple—which reached an annual high of $268.2 million in awards and $299.8 million in research expenditures in Fiscal Year 2021 (as reported to the National Science Foundation Survey of Higher Education Research and Development).
Masucci received both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University in 1986 and 1987, respectively. She also holds a B.S. in Geography and Regional Planning from a USM institution, Salisbury University (1982). She held tenure-track appointments at West Georgia University and Auburn University before joining the Temple faculty.
Masucci’s academic research examines how information barriers impact community development and environmental quality—including access to health, education, and social services. She has also worked to develop university-community partnerships with organizations that address human rights issues, and with a number of national and international community and environmental planning organizations.
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The USM comprises 12 institutions: Bowie State University; Coppin State University; Frostburg State University; Salisbury University; Towson University; the University of Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; the University of Maryland, College Park; the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and the University of Maryland Global Campus. The USM also includes three regional centers—the Universities at Shady Grove, the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, and the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland—at which USM universities offer upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses.
Systemwide, student enrollment is roughly 165,000. The USM and its institutions compete successfully for nearly $1.5 billion in external grants and contracts annually. USM institutions and programs are among the nation's best in quality and value according to several national rankings. To learn more about the University System of Maryland, visit www.usmd.edu.
Contact: Paul Stackpole
Phone: 410.576.5750
Email: pstackpo@usmd.edu