Provost's Council

Andrew Sears, PhD, is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and professor in the Department of Computer Science at WPI. Building on more than 30 years of higher education experience, Sears brings a unique blend of technical expertise, administrative excellence, and collaborative leadership style to his role as the university's chief academic officer. Immediately prior to joining WPI, Sears served as Professor and Dean of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, where he focused on supporting interdisciplinary efforts that produced new academic programs and ...

Terri A. Camesano has been the Dean of Graduate Studies at WPI since 2014, and was the inaugural full-time Dean of Graduate Studies. In her current role, she oversees Graduate Admissions, Graduate Student Professional Development, Online Graduate Education, and Professional Education. Dean Camesano is also the primary advocate for our 2000+ graduate students, and oversees Master's, PhD, and Certificate programs in all areas of Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Business. Dean Camesano is also faculty in Chemical Engineering, and has been at WPI since 2000. 

Dr. Kwamie Dunbar is the Interim Dean and Professor of Finance in the WPI Business School. In addition to his extensive experience in teaching and research, he has a wealth of industry experience working with several fortune 500 companies in various capacities.Professor Dunbar's research has appeared in leading economics and finance journals such as Quantitative Finance, Economic Modeling, International Review of Financial Analysis, and Research in International Business and Finance, amongst others. His research has received considerable attention via citations, and he regularly presents his ...

Arne Gericke is the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and a Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry.The research in my lab is generally concerned with the biophysical characterization of lipid mediated protein functions.We are particularly interested in studying phosphoinositide mediated signaling pathways. Phosphoinositide lipids represent only a small fraction of lipids in cellular membranes, yet their importance for cellular processes cannot be overstated. Phosphoinositides mediate physiological functions by regulating the activity and/or ...

Olga Klochkova is the Associate Vice President of Finance & Operations. She is a critical thought partner on both strategic and tactical financial decision-making to the EVP/CFO. Olga is overseeing accounting, audit, endowment and debt management, financial services, procurement-to-payables, student and grant accounting, as well as directing effective budget and planning processes in alignment with the strategic priorities of the WPI.  As part of her role, she is communicating financial information and insights to the division leaders, the senior leadership, and Board of Trustees ...

The holistic WPI experience, both inside and outside the classroom, is a phenomenal learning laboratory that can prepare students for their future lives as leaders and citizens. At WPI, students have the opportunity to take risks, try new skills and opportunities, and to learn from them. The spirit of collaboration, value for student input, and culture of innovation makes WPI a place where students can build meaningful relationships with students, faculty, and staff who share their passions and interests. I am committed to ensuring that students make meaning of their curricular and ...

Dr. Mimi Sheller is the Dean of The Global School and is an internationally recognized scholar and higher education leader, with fifteen years of executive leadership across academic units, research centers, and professional organizations. Prior to joining WPI, she was tenured Professor of Sociology, Head of the Sociology Department, and founding Director of the Center for Mobilities Research and Policy at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Dr. Sheller was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa from Roskilde University, Denmark, in 2015, the Drexel Provost’s Award for Outstanding Career Scholarly ...

Bogdan Vernescu is Professor of mathematical sciences and the Vice President and Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.His research is in applied mathematics for multiscale materials sciences, focusing on the characterization of material properties of composites, porous media, suspensions, emulsions and electrorheological/magnetorheological materials. He has published over 60 research papers, a monograph and a proceedings volume. He has held visiting positions at MIT, in France at the University of Metz, University of Nancy, University of Savoie, University Jean-Monnet-Saint-Étienne, ...