Guidoboni appointed Interim Vice President For Research, will continue as MCEC Dean
Guidoboni appointed Interim Vice President For Research, will continue as MCEC Dean
The University of Maine has appointed Giovanna Guidoboni as interim vice president for research while she continues to serve as the inaugural dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC). In this dual leadership role, Guidoboni will help foster education, research, and innovation at the University of Maine while strengthening collaboration across the University of Maine System and state.
As dean of MCEC, Guidoboni leads one of the university’s largest academic units, home to more than 2,600 students and a key driver of the UMS TRANSFORMS initiative, a systemwide effort to expand engineering and computing education, research and workforce development in Maine. Under her leadership, the college has bridged disciplines, strengthened research and innovation, fostered statewide partnerships, modernized labs and built new buildings to prepare the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.
In her interim vice-presidential role, Guidoboni will oversee UMaine’s research enterprise, support faculty and student scholarship, and build new opportunities for collaboration with industry, government and community partners. Her appointment reflects UMaine’s continued commitment to advancing discovery and innovation that serve Maine and the world.
A world-renowned expert in ocular biomechanics and mathematical modeling, Guidoboni directs the Laboratory for Computational and Mathematical Modeling in Medicine, Engineering and Technology (CoMET Lab) at UMaine. Her research combines mathematics, physics and engineering to understand ocular diseases such as glaucoma, using computational tools to explore the connections between fluid dynamics, vision loss and intraocular pressure. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and European Commission.
“My passion has always been connecting people and ideas across fields to make something greater than any one discipline alone,” Guidoboni said. “I believe everyone should have access to research whether they are students just beginning their journey or faculty leading major projects. Together we can continue to grow a culture of innovation as a learner-centered R1 institution that reaches every corner of the University and beyond.”
Guidoboni joined UMaine in 2023 after serving as associate dean for research and professor of mathematics, electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Missouri. She holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and a master’s in engineering of materials from the University of Ferrara in Italy. Guidoboni is an Elected Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and holds a joint faculty position at the Department of Ophthalmology of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (NY).
Contact: Taylor Ward, taylor.ward@maine.edu