Associate Vice Chancellor for Research retires, and interim named
Amy Wendt, associate vice chancellor (AVC) for research in the physical sciences, retires on Oct. 1 and Mike Graham, professor of chemical and biological engineering, has been appointed interim AVC for the physical sciences.
The AVC for research in the physical sciences is a member of the leadership team in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) and provides support for physical sciences and interdisciplinary research across campus in areas including recruitment and retention, grant matches, research center reviews, faculty awards and Fall Research Competition.
Wendt, professor of electrical and computer engineering, was appointed as an AVC in 2021 after having served in the interim position since 2019. She is an expert in understanding the behavior of plasmas, how they interact with materials substrates and implications for process development such as fabrication of computer chips found in every electronic device today, in addition to design of plasma generation systems.
“As an AVC, Amy has been a critical resource for researchers, offering guidance to accelerate progress in areas ranging from fusion energy to nanoscale design, machine learning and quantum computing,” says Dorota Brzezinska, vice chancellor for research. “As a campus leader, Amy been dedicated to facilitating the research success of all physical sciences principal investigators and we are grateful to Amy for her service.”
In her role as WISELI co-director from 2007-2024, Wendt also provided training for faculty search and divisional committees on fair and equitable evaluation of research scholarship.
“Amy, who has been on our engineering faculty since 1990, is leaving an enormous legacy: the countless students she has taught and guided through a critical milestone in their education, the early career faculty she has mentored over the years (including myself many years ago), the advances she has pioneered in plasma science and engineering, her trailblazing efforts in broadening participation in STEM, and the impact of her visionary leadership at the departmental, college, and university level,” says Susan Hagness, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Parmesh Ramanathan adds, “I had the fortune to work alongside Amy in leadership roles at both the department and campus levels. We worked as co-chairs in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and later as colleagues in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Amy is a wonderful colleague and an inspiring leader. She is deeply committed to the success of faculty, staff, and students. Working with her as co-chair, I learned so much about the importance of leading with both empathy and strength, especially when facing tough decisions.”
“I will miss Amy’s passion for supporting the growth and success of women faculty — a legacy that will continue to benefit our campus for years to come. It has been a joy to work with her, and I wish her happiness and fulfillment in retirement,“ Ramanathan says.
Introducing Mike Graham as Interim Vice Chancellor for Research in the Physical Sciences
Graham has earned several honorific professorships including the Steenbock Professor of Engineering, Harvey D. Spangler Professor and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor.
He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University, was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Houston and Princeton University and joined the faculty of UW–Madison in 1994.
Graham is principal investigator of the Complex Flows and Fluids Research Group. His research uses theory and computation to study problems in fluid dynamics, rheology (the study of deformation and flow of complex soft materials such as blood) and transport phenomena.
Graham has studied blood flow in microcirculation underlying health and disease, including research into the distribution of white blood cells and platelets during blood flow, a process which plays a pivotal role in determining physiological responses. Most recently, he has studied microcirculatory blood flow in sickle cell disease and has focused on applying machine learning and data science tools to problems in fluid dynamics, especially turbulent flows.
Graham was recipient of the 2024 Eugene C. Bingham Medal, the highest honor from the Society of Rheology and he has received awards from federal agencies and professional societies, including a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Stanley Corrsin Award from the American Physical Society. He has over 150 peer-reviewed articles and is co-author of the textbook, “Modeling and Analysis Principles for Chemical and Biological Engineers,” and author of “Microhydrodynamics, Brownian Motion, and Complex Fluids,” an introduction to the dynamics and flow of complex fluids.
“Mike is a globally recognized leader in rheology and fluid mechanics, known for groundbreaking research that has sparked the foundation for new avenues of exploration,” says Brzezinska. “Beyond his scholarly impact, he’s also been a dedicated mentor to junior faculty in the field. I’m excited to see the perspective and energy he’ll bring to his interim AVC role.”
By Natasha Kassulke, natasha.kassulke@wisc.edu