Julie Chen (academic)

Julie Chen

Julie Chen is an American educator and Chancellor of the University Massachusetts Lowell. She is the University's fourth chancellor, the second woman, and first openly gay person to fill the role.

Early Life and Education

Chen earned her bachelors (1986), masters (1988) and doctoral (1991) degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Career

Chen started her career in 1990 as an engineering professor at Boston University. In 1997 she joined the faculty at UMass Lowell. She previously served as Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development.

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.

Chen was appointed UMass Lowell’s vice provost for research in 2009, and she was promoted to vice chancellor in 2016 with an added external and outreach focus.

As a member of UMass Lowell’s Executive Cabinet, Chen helped lead the implementation of the university’s 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.

Chen was the 2010 Technical Program Chair for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, and she served in several leadership roles on the Congress Steering Committee, Nominating Committee and in her technical division.

Chen has served on many editorial boards, advisory committees, and review panels for journals and federal agencies including the National Science Foundation; the National Institutes of Health; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; the U.S. Department of Energy; and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Based on her expertise in materials, nanomanufacturing and advanced manufacturing, she has testified before Congress and represented the United States in several international workshops.

Chen serves on 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, Chen served as co-lead for UMass Lowell’s Council on Social Justice and Inclusion.

Additionally she was a co-principal investigator on a $3.5 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to support and elevate women faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

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.

In 2019 she was awarded an honorary degree from Queens University Belfast. She is a recipient of the U.S. Army Public Service Commendation Medal – the Army’s fourth-highest civilian honor – in recognition of her leadership in developing the innovation ecosystem.

Chen, the UMass System’s first LGBTQ chancellor, resides in Wilmington with her spouse, Susu Wong.

Further Reading

In December 2023, in an event coordinated by UMass Lowell’s Asian American Center for Excellence & Engagement, Chancellor Chen hosted White House and other officials taking part in an Asian-American listening tour. They visited UMass Lowell to learn from students, faculty and staff about their experiences.

Chancellor Chen has been honored by the Lowell City Council for her work partnering with the city.