Nieswandt Named Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement

UMass Amherst: News Archive

Martina Nieswandt, associate dean for research and engagement in the College of Education and associate professor of teacher education and curriculum studies, has been named associate vice chancellor for research and engagement by Vice Chancellor Mike Malone.Beginning in late summer, she will work on increasing research support capacity and services, improving communication, and implementing strategic initiatives, said Malone.
Nieswandt succeeds Elizabeth Chilton, who was named dean of Harpur College at Binghamton University in New York.
Nieswandt came to the College of Education faculty in 2011 from the Illinois Institute for Technology in Chicago. She has also previously held faculty positions in education at the University of Toronto and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She received her M.A. at Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany, in 1987 and a Ph.D. from the University of Kiel, Germany, in 1996. 
She has been the principal or co-principal investigator on a number of projectss sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the Illinois Board of Education and the German Science Foundation. The focus of her research is on student motivation and success factors in middle and high school science programs.
Prior to her appointment as associate dean for research, she was a Dean’s Leadership Fellow in the College of Education. As associate dean, she led a significant expansion of staff, developed new procedures for pre- and post-award grant administration, new training opportunities and expanded cross-campus relationships.
“Martina brings a solid foundation of experience managing her own projects and grants and she has established a successful research support infrastructure within the College of Education. Her experiences perfectly complement the priorities identified in our strategic plans,” said Malone.




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