Laurie E. Locascio, PhD, MSc
Vice President for Research

Laurie Locascio is the University of Maryland’s vice president for research, overseeing the vibrant research and innovation enterprise at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), a collaboration that garners a combined $1.1 billion in external research funding every year.

Within Locascio’s purview are the development of large interdisciplinary research programs, technology commercialization, innovation and economic development efforts, and strategic partnerships with industry, federal, academic, and nonprofit collaborators. She also is a professor in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at UMCP’s A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Locascio previously worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Md., rising from research biomedical engineer to senior leadership positions, including acting principal deputy director and associate director for laboratory programs. In those roles, she provided leadership and operational guidance for NIST’s seven scientific and mission-focused laboratories.

Locascio directed the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), one of NIST’s largest scientific labs, overseeing 1,000 research staff in eight locations around the United States and a $175 million annual budget. As MML director, Locascio recruited top talent, fostered excellence, and built a collegial and collaborative workplace. She implemented strategic partnerships with universities, industry, and other government labs, including a partnership with the University of Maryland’s Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research at the Universities at Shady Grove. Before that, Locascio served as chief of MML’s Biochemical Sciences Division.

Locascio has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from James Madison University, a master’s in bioengineering from the University of Utah, and a PhD in toxicology from UMB. Her most recent honors include the 2017 American Chemical Society Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management and the 2017 Washington Academy of Sciences Special Award in Scientific Leadership. She has published 115 scientific papers and holds 11 patents in the fields of bioengineering and analytical chemistry.

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