State Senator Ed Kennedy was honored to participate in the inaugural ceremony for Dr. Julie Chen as Chancellor of UMass-Lowell at the Tsongas Arena on Thursday, April 13. Julie Chen is the fourth person to serve as Chancellor of UMass-Lowell.
Dr. Julie Chen received her Ph.D., 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 in softball and field hockey.
Dr. Chen joined the UMass Lowell faculty in 1997 after six years as an assistant professor at Boston University. She spent 2002-2004 in Washington, D.C., as director for the Materials Processing and Manufacturing as well as the Nanomanufacturing programs at the National Science Foundation. In 2009, she was appointed Vice Provost for Research.
Before becoming Chancellor, Dr Julie Chen served as vice chancellor for research and economic development, a role that included managing industry partnerships, technology transfer, startups and innovation, core research facilities and economic development programs. As UMass Lowell’s chief research officer, Dr. Chen facilitated numerous innovative models that brought together industry, government and academia.
Because of her expertise in materials, nanomanufacturing and advanced manufacturing, Dr. Chen has testified before Congress and represented the United States in several international workshops. Dr. Julie Chen serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and MassTech Collaborative, as well as the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative and the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force.
An advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, Chancellor Chen has served as the co-leader for UMass Lowell’s Council on Social Justice and Inclusion.
