University of Maryland Names Amitabh Varshney as Dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The University of Maryland has named Amitabh Varshney as dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS), effective March 1, 2018. As dean, Varshney will lead the College’s broad and robust research and educational efforts across 10 departments.

“I am very excited about the future of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences under Dr. Varshney’s leadership,” said Mary Ann Rankin, UMD’s senior vice president and provost. “He has a wealth of knowledge in research and interdisciplinary work. His clear vision for the college and natural leadership style will allow CMNS to continue to be recognized nationally and globally. I am enthused and excited to work with him.”

Varshney joined the university’s Department of Computer Science faculty in 2000, and since 2010, has served as director of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). A leader in interactive visual computing research, Varshney’s work has focused on exploring the applications of high-performance computer graphics and visualization in science, engineering and medicine. His research results are being used in climate modeling; plasma physics; nanomanufacturing; the design of buildings, cars and submarines; medical imaging; gene sequencing; and the creative arts. He has engaged in research collaborations with a variety of partners in industry and government agencies.

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences alongside some of the university’s best and brightest faculty, students and staff,” said Varshney. “I hope that as we move into the college’s next phase together, we can continue to build upon the success of our nationally recognized academic programs, cutting-edge research, and world-renowned faculty innovation.”

As part of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership, Varshney helped bring together scientists and clinicians from both UMD and the University of Maryland, Baltimore to establish a multidisciplinary Center for Health-related Informatics and Bioimaging (CHIB), tasked with solving grand challenges in personalized medicine and health care. Varshney has also advised more than 50 undergraduate students, 30 master’s degree students and 12 doctoral students. He taught the university’s first undergraduate course in virtual and augmented reality in 2016, and helped establish the Maryland Center for Women in Computing.

“Professor Varshney has the qualities of mind, temperament, leadership, and character to be an outstanding Dean,” said University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh. “His record of commitment to excellence in learning and teaching, fundamental research and innovation, and multidisciplinary collaborations will serve CMNS well as it continues on its ascendant trajectory. My thanks to the search committee for identifying a slate of exceptional finalist candidates.”

Varshney is an elected fellow of IEEE, a recipient of the IEEE Technical Achievement Award and a NSF CAREER Award. Varshney earned his B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.