Dr. Theresa A. Maldonado was appointed Vice President for Research & Innovation at the University of California Office of the President in March 2020. Before coming to UC, she served as Dean and Riter Professor of Engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in July 2017. She also holds a tenured appointment as a Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
Dr. Maldonado’s academic career spans 29 years, including at four other universities: The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Health Science Center, and The University of Texas at Arlington, with nearly 20 years in various research strategic and administrative roles. She also served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the Texas A&M University System and as founding director of the Texas A&M Energy Institute.
Dr. Maldonado has extensive experience at the federal level in advancing engineering research, education, and commercialization initiatives. From Jan. 2011 to Oct. 2014, she served as a division director in the Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF). She was responsible for a $135M budget in support of interdisciplinary research centers, research translation, innovations in engineering education, special initiatives in support of military veterans, broadening participation in engineering, and workforce development programs. Her initial appointment at NSF was in 1999 to 2001, when she served as a program director in the Engineering Research Centers program and represented the Engineering Directorate on several NSF-wide committees.
Before entering academia, Dr. Maldonado was a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories for 5 1/2 years working on optical fiber components and systems.
Dr. Maldonado earned the Ph.D., M.S.E.E., and B.E.E. with Highest Honors degrees in Electrical Engineering, all from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Maldonado is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas.