Laurie E. Locascio, PhD
Vice President for Research
University of Maryland
Vice President for Research Laurie E. Locascio, PhD, oversees the distinguished University of Maryland research enterprise, which includes the Baltimore and College Park campuses of the University of Maryland. Reporting to the Presidents of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland, College Park – Jay A. Perman, MD, and Wallace D. Loh, PhD, JD, respectively – Dr. Locascio manages the research administration at both campuses.
Prior to her appointment to this new and expanded role, Dr. Locascio was the Vice President for Research for the College Park campus since October 1, 2017. She previously worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, rising from a research biomedical engineer to senior leadership positions.
When she left NIST in 2017, she was acting as the Principal Deputy Director and Associate Director for Laboratory Programs at NIST, providing leadership and operational guidance for NIST’s seven scientific and mission-focused laboratories. Previously, she directed the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), one of NIST’s largest scientific labs, overseeing 1,000 research staff in eight locations around the US and a $170 million annual budget. As MML Director, she recruited top talent, fostered excellence, and built a collegial and collaborative workplace. She implemented strategic partnerships with universities, industry, and other government labs, including a partnership with the joint UMB and UMCP Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research at Shady Grove. Prior to that, Locascio served as chief of the Biochemical Sciences Division in the MML.
Her most recent honors and awards include the 2017 American Chemical Society Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management, and the 2017 Washington Academy of Sciences Special Award in Scientific Leadership. A Fellow of the American Chemical Society, of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and of the Washington Academy of Sciences, she has published 115 scientific articles and been awarded 11 patents.
She received a BS in chemistry from James Madison University, a MS in bioengineering from the University of Utah, and a PhD in toxicology from UMB.