On behalf of Chancellor Gillman, it is my privilege to announce that Gillian R. Hayes has been appointed vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate Division, effective Sept. 1, 2019.
A member of the UCI faculty since 2007, she currently serves as the Robert A. and Barbara L. Kleist chair in Informatics in the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, with additional appointments in UCI’s School of Education and School of Medicine. Her research interests involve a range of disciplines and a focus on leveraging innovative information technologies to support vulnerable populations.
Professor Hayes has worked to advance graduate education in a variety of roles throughout her career. She was vice chair for graduate affairs in informatics, a position in which she established Ph.D. programs in informatics and software engineering, evolved Ph.D. recruitment and retention processes, and championed efforts to support female and underrepresented Ph.D. students. She also helped create the Informatics Graduate Student Association and serves on UCI’s Graduate Council and as founding faculty director for the master of human-computer interaction & design program.
Most recently, Professor Hayes honed her industry leadership and development skills as president and CEO of an innovative group purchasing organization for aviation, AVIAA, a software, data, and supply chain company launched from a pair of offices in the Cove at UCI Applied Innovation. Her interdisciplinary background and dedication to inclusive excellence and advancement will provide a strong foundation for collaboration with faculty, students and staff to build bridges across campus and drive a strategic vision for graduate education at UCI.
We are grateful to the search committee and its chair, Martha Mecartney, professor of materials science & engineering, for their commitment and contributions to the search process.
Please join me in congratulating Professor Hayes on her new role.
Sincerely,
Enrique J. Lavernia, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Distinguished Professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering