For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 14, 2018

SUNY Contact: Holly Liapis; holly.liapis@suny.edu; 518-320-1311

SUNY Poly Contact: Steve Ference; sference@sunypoly.edu; 518-956-7319

Albany – The State University of New York Board of Trustees and SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson announced the appointment of Dr. Jinliu “Grace” Wang as SUNY Polytechnic Institute Interim President. She will also continue in her role as senior vice chancellor for SUNY Research and Economic Development.

“Dr. Wang brings precisely the skills and experience we need now at SUNY Poly,” SUNY Chancellor Johnson said. “There is no one more qualified or committed to guide SUNY Poly and harness the capacity of its existing world-class research and teaching facilities. In her relatively short time at SUNY, Dr. Wang has performed exceedingly well and has demonstrated an inclusive, results-driven approach to working with campuses, faculty, and students. My congratulations to her on this appointment.”

Dr. Pramod P. Khargonekar, University of California, Irvine, Vice Chancellor for Research and Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, said, “Dr. Wang has an infectious enthusiasm and deep appreciation of research and its economic, beneficial impact on our society. While at work together at the National Science Foundation, I greatly valued her tremendous dedication to all aspects of engineering research and education, and her leadership and management of our funding programs to create and enable technology innovation.”

Dr. Wang’s appointment is effective July 1, shortly after Dr. Bahgat G. Sammakia steps down on June 30.

“We are incredibly grateful to Interim President Sammakia, who was called on to create stability, then growth at SUNY Poly,” said Chancellor Johnson. “It has been a pleasure working with him, and I look forward to hearing of his future achievements as he returns to Binghamton University as vice president for research.”

Under Dr. Sammakia’s leadership, SUNY Poly’s first-year class increased 47 percent from 314 to 463 students, and a number of new online academic programs were established. The institution also supported a major breakthrough in computer chip manufacturing by enabling a research alliance comprised of IBM, Samsung, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES to successfully fabricate transistors for five-nanometer chips.

About Dr. Jinliu “Grace” Wang

Dr. Wang has been serving as SUNY’s Interim Provost and is senior vice chancellor for SUNY Research and Economic Development. She has played a leading role in designing, directing, and expanding the footprint of SUNY’s research, graduate education, industry relations, and economic development activities.

Prior to joining SUNY in January 2017, she served as acting assistant director for engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she led the Engineering directorate and managed a funding portfolio of over $900 million to invest in frontier engineering research, support engineering education, and foster innovation and technology commercialization. Prior to that time, she served as NSF’s Deputy Assistant Director for Engineering, a capacity in which she oversaw the operation of the Directorate for Engineering, and helped identify and implement research, innovation, and education priorities.

Dr. Wang began her career at IBM/Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, focusing on research and development of magnetic thin film and carbon overcoat for data storage. She holds seven U.S. patents. She earned her doctorate in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University.

About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)

SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For more information visit www.sunypoly.edu.

About The State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, with 64 college and university campuses located within 30 miles of every home, school, and business in the state. As of Fall 2017, more than 430,000 students were enrolled in a degree program at a SUNY campus. In total, SUNY served nearly 1.4 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs in the 2016-17 academic year. SUNY students and faculty across the state make significant contributions to research and discovery, resulting in $1 billion of externally sponsored activity each year. There are 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.

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