Tricia Serio Named Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost

Research
Campus photograph of trees with foliage and building and sky in the background

Dear Campus Community,

I am pleased to announce today the appointment of Dr. Tricia Serio as provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. She will begin her new position on July 18.

Currently, Dr. Serio serves as dean of the College of Natural Sciences and as associate chancellor for strategic academic planning. Over the course of five years of service to UMass, she has demonstrated her strong commitment to academic excellence, student success and faculty advancement. She has established a record of innovation, a collaborative and compassionate leadership style, and a commitment to systematic planning and data-informed decision making. As a first-generation college graduate, she has a passion for the university’s goal of inclusive excellence. 

Dr. Serio joined UMass as dean of CNS in August 2017 after serving as professor and head of the department of molecular and cellular biology at the University of Arizona. Her professional honors include the 2016 Mid-career Award for Excellence in Research from the American Society for Cell Biology, the Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences for 2003-07 and the National Cancer Institute’s Howard Temin Award for 2001-06. In 2022, she was selected to be a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the pre-eminent scientific institution in the United States. She earned a B.S. in molecular biology from Lehigh University and an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale. She was a postdoctoral fellow in molecular genetics and cell biology at the University of Chicago.

I want to thank the 14-member search advisory committee, chaired by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Brandi Hephner LaBanc, for playing an invaluable role in the selection process. I also want to again express my gratitude to Dr. John McCarthy for his extraordinary service to UMass over the past 35 years, including the last five years as provost.

Sincerely,

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy

Press release posted in Research for Faculty , Staff , Prospective students , Current students , Alumni , and Public