New Vice Chancellor for Research Feels at Home on the Shores of Lake Mendota

Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska recently joined UW–Madison as its new Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) and as faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

As VCR, Brzezinska oversees the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), boasting more than $1.52 billion in annual research expenditures, a figure that puts UW–Madison in the top 10 in the nation among universities for volume of research. The office includes administration of 20 cross-campus research offices and interdisciplinary centers.

In her own research, Brzezinska has made a significant international impact on advancing research in the application of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), to assure location/navigation solution anytime, anywhere and for any moving platform—work that intersects her long fascination with stories of explorers, as well as a love of maps she shares with Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Cynthia Czajkowski, who recently served as interim VCR.

“I am very grateful to Cindy for her support in my transition to VCR and for making me feel so welcome,” Brzezinska says. “I am looking forward to continuing to work with Cindy and other campus leaders, as well as the world class campus research community here to grow the Wisconsin Idea, a principle that I strongly believe in. I am excited to work together across disciplines and in partnership with industry and government to tackle the pressing issues facing our world.”

Brzezinska comes to UW–Madison from Ohio State, where she focused on growing research talent and research expenditures, building interdisciplinarity connections across campus and helping launch new research institutes and centers. Her leadership roles at Ohio State included vice president for knowledge enterprise; professor of civil, environmental and geodetic engineering; department chair; and associate dean for research.

Brzezinska holds numerous national positions relating to scientific research. President Joe Biden appointed her to the National Science Board in 2023, following three years of service on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Institute of Navigation, and the Royal Institute of Navigation and member of the National Academy of Engineering, she is also the first woman to receive the International Association of the Institutes of Navigation’s John Harrison Award for career achievement.

Additionally, Brzezinska is the principal investigator for the NSF Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA). ERVA looks to find new directions and opportunities in engineering research based on the current global economy and societal needs and supports the engineering community in such research.

She has published over 350 peer-reviewed journal and proceedings papers, numerous technical reports and several book chapters on GPS and navigation. She has led nearly 60 sponsored-research projects with a total budget of nearly $39 million.

Brzezinska holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in geodetic science from The Ohio State University, and a master’s degree in surveying engineering and land management systems from the University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland.

She was born and raised in Olsztyn in northeastern Poland, known as the region of a thousand lakes. Brzezinska arrived in the United States in July 1990 as a Fulbright Scholar graduate student in the Department of Geodetic Science at OSU. Since then, her research has spanned all seven continents including Antarctica, where she spent six weeks with a USGS and Ohio State crew installing permanently tracking GPS receivers and collecting data used to study glacial isostatic adjustment in Antarctica.

We asked Brzezinska about her history and what led her to become a Badger.

What attracted you to UW–Madison?
Many things, but mostly the nationally and internationally recognized research strengths, the culture of collaboration across the disciplinary fields and the intellectual curiosity that seems to be a signature trait of the faculty, staff and students who I have met so far, the depth and the breadth of their expertise, and the size and diversity of this great institution. And, of course, the challenges that I feel we can translate to opportunities by working together to form cross-disciplinary and multi-sectoral teams that will accelerate paths to solutions to the most vexing societal problems and benefit not only Wisconsin but also the region, the nation, and the world.

What was your first visit to campus like?
Amazing! This visit totally sold me on UW–Madison. I loved the energy, the enthusiasm, and the collective wisdom that permeated the ambiance of every meeting I attended. The exciting and ambitious and yet realistic vision of the University leadership and their all-inclusive approach to governance made me feel at home. And have I mentioned that the campus location on the lake and the presence of lakes and ponds all over Madison, as well as sprawling green areas across the city gave me a feeling of my hometown of Olsztyn, Poland? It simply cannot get any better.

Favorite place on campus so far?
Hands down – the shoreline of Lake Mendota. Someone told me that it’s the view one will notice first, and the view one will never forget. I grew up in a city with four lakes within the city limits, and boating, kayaking, sailing, fishing and swimming have always been my family’s favorite things to do together. I am glad to be back in my favorite kind of environment.

What are you most enjoying so far about working here?
The people. My colleagues at the Office of the VCR are amazing. I am grateful for the time and patience they offer while onboarding me. It is a great team, with bold ideas and great sense of service to the University mission and the community. The bonus is everyone’s great sense of humor and the love of dogs that we share!

Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea?
Yes, I do. Over the past two decades, my research has focused on developing new approaches to using GPS outside its original designation – national defense. My lab designed and developed many new algorithms and applications of GPS and related technologies that are now an everyday commodity. Serving society by making a complicated technology inexpensive and simple to use to improve people’s lives, enhancing national security and creating an economic value has been my North Star over the course of my academic career. This approach is at the core of the Wisconsin Idea.

Anything that you care to share about your family?
My husband, David Dean, leads the Osteo Engineering Laboratory at The Ohio State University. His research uses patient-specific CAD and 3D printing technologies to produce patient-matched devices for musculoskeletal reconstructive surgical therapies.

My daughter, Bogna Brzezinska, is a gynecological oncologist at the Parkview Cancer Institute in Fort Wayne, Indiana and a Blue Devil (Duke University) for life. Her husband, Eric Schorsten holds a degree in Communication from The Ohio State University and runs a successful real estate business.

David’s son, Matthew works in the affordable housing industry, which he is very passionate about. He holds an MBA and a City and Regional Planning degrees from The Ohio State University.

My “real” babies are the three dachshunds: Toby, Zeke and Fritz. Toby and Zeke are both rescue dogs, and Fritz is a “COVID baby,” who for a long time believed that there are only two “hoomans” in the world – David and I. I am a dachshund lover and plan to grow my doxie family in the future, preferably through the rescue programs.

Hobbies/other interests:
Dachshunds, biking, traveling, and exploring new places; hiking, kayaking and reading.

What would you like to add?
I am delighted, excited and energized to join the UW–-Madison, and look forward to working with the leadership, faculty, students, and staff to take on the research enterprise of this extraordinary university from strength to strength, collaboratively shaping a vision for the future, elevating the societal and economic impacts by translating our research and innovation through entrepreneurship and strategic industry collaborations, and increasing our global visibility.

 

By: Natasha Kassulke, natasha.kassulke@wisc.edu