Academic Deans & Staff

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. 

Arne Gericke is the Dean of Undergraduate Studies ad interim, 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 ...

Biography of Rev. Debora Jackson, DMin, MDiv, ME, MS, BS The Reverend Dr. Debora Jackson is Professor of Practice and Dean of the Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a premiere STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) based institution recognized for project-based education that integrates the theory and practice of management. In response to changing industry needs, Dr. Jackson seeks to promote research, collaboration, and partnerships that understand broader societal needs and recast the vision for business education in ways that prepare leaders to ...

Dr. Jean King is the WPI Peterson family Dean in the School of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as a Professor of Biology and Biotechnology, affiliate Professor in Biomedical Engineering Department, Professor in the Neuroscience Program and Director, NeuroTech Suite at WPI. Prior to joining WPI, she was vice provost for biomedical research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School; a tenured professor of psychiatry, radiology, and neurology; and director of the university’s Center for Comparative Neuroimaging. She retains a lab and Adjunct Professorship at Umass Medical School, ...

John A. McNeill was named the Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering in June 2021. McNeill joined WPI in 1994 after nearly a decade in industry and served as the interim Dean of Engineering from September 2018 until being appointed Dean. A senior member of IEEE and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, the National Academy of Inventors, and the Council for Undergraduate Research, McNeill received a bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College, an MS in electrical engineering from the University of Rochester, and a PhD in electrical engineering from ...

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 ...

Debbie supports the dean of Graduate Studies. In this role, she provides organizational and administrative assistance and manages a range of special projects and activities. Her responsibilities include providing financial management support, overseeing the graduate travel fund, and coordinating graduate student events. Debbie brings more than 20 years of experience in retail and business environments. She is the former owner and operator of a full-service bridal shop, and previously served as a flight attendant for United Airlines. She enjoys gardening, hiking, and spending time with her ...

Camille manages the daily research operations and strategic initiatives of the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. She also oversees the recruitment of all non-faculty researcher appointments.   She has a Bachelor's degree from Nichols College in Business with a concentration in Finance, and has a Master's in Management from WPI.

Anna Gold joined the WPI community as University Librarian in 2017; she brought with her a passion for and dedication to polytechnic learning and interdisciplinary research. She began her career as a research librarian at the Library of Congress. In 1994 she joined the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she served as library director before becoming manager of NSF’s public website. Prior to joining WPI, she served as head of science and engineering libraries at the University of California at San Diego and MIT before returning to California as dean of library services at California ...

As operations manager, Deborah Graves supports the Division of Academic Affairs in all day-to-day operations while also assisting the Provost with the development and implementation of administrative policies and procedures. She has been at WPI since 1996, and during that time, has provided invaluable insight and experience to the Provost’s senior leadership team. In addition to supporting Academic Affairs during its transition to a dean structure, she has contributed to many administrative leadership committees, worked closely with faculty governance, and been part of several committees on ...

Antje is the Assistant Vice Provost for Research and in this capacity, she supports the university’s research and technology commercialization enterprises. She directs WPI's research development services and assists in the administration and operations of centers and institutes, internal grant programs, and core instrumentation facilities.  She participates in the negotiation of major research contracts and coordinates corporate research strategy and support with the Academic and Corporate Engagement and the University Advancement divisions.     Prior to joining WPI ...

As Director of Technology Commercialization, a position he’s held since 2011, Todd Keiller manages the WPI patent portfolio and is the lead in licensing technology to existing companies or startups in order to move it on a commercial pathway. Additionally, he has developed a vibrant licensing program, revised the university’s intellectual property policy, and initiated several organizations on campus, including the WPI Accelerator Fund, Tech Advisors Network IP Evaluation Group, and the Accelerate WPI program. Keiller earned a BA at Dartmouth College and an MBA at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of ...

In support of the Director, Lynda manages the day to day operations and functions of the office.

Carla provides information technology support and solutions to the divisions of Academic Affairs by assisting in the design, development, testing and integration of IT tools, applications and products.

Aprile joined WPI in 2019 after a robust career at Bose. At Bose, Aprile worked in HR followed by almost 15 years in the Manufacturing Engineering Group. Most recently, she served as a Project/Program Coordinator, managing various programs, collaborating with cross functional development teams, budgeting, and visual management. Aprile is excited to use her talents for developing systems and structures that result in high quality experiences for teams and customers, such as WPI’s undergraduate students, with WPI’s Dean of Undergraduate Studies team and Summer Undergraduate Courses team. ...

Susan joined the Provost office in October 2008. She provides direct academic support to the Academic Affairs Operations Manager. In her role, she supports a variety of duties such as preparing faculty appointment letters and payroll paperwork (EPAF), Banner entry for all academic appointments, TA/RA tracking, survey submissions, streamline processes, oversees and creates tutorials for all office procedures, Banner programs and forms. She maintains various tracking systems and works on special projects as needed.

As associate vice president for academic affairs at WPI, Kristopher Sullivan is responsible for the financial oversight of the division, including strategic planning, budgeting, space management, assessment of resource allocations and effectiveness, and the development of short- and long-term funding strategies for divisional academic programs. He works closely with the provost, deans, and department heads to provide financial oversight and guidance. He is also a member of several WPI committees, including the Unified Digital Campus Governance Committee, the Committee on Administrative and ...

As a Senior Fellow in WPI’s Center for Project-Based Learning, which I established in 2016, I work with colleagues across campus to help advance project-based learning at colleges and universities around the nation and the globe. We also support project-based learning here on the WPI campus. Most of my scholarly and professional activity has centered around experiential and international education. Through my involvement in organizations such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the American Society for Engineering Education, I work to promote WPI’s approach to ...

Bogdan Vernescu is currently Professor of mathematical sciences and the Vice Provost for Research. 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, the University of Metz, University of Nancy, University of Savoie, University of Rouen, University of Sorbonne Paris Nord, University of Rome La ...

Project-based learning is an enormously powerful approach to education. I've been changed by it; I've watched students be changed by it. I've seen faculty develop a renewed sense of joy in teaching from using it. And now, after over a decade of using PBL with students, I'm embarking on a new phase of helping faculty implement PBL through the work of the Center for Project-Based Learning. The good news - working with faculty on PBL is as much fun as working with students!

Donna Provides support to both the Provost and the Academic Affairs Operations Manager.  In her role as Executive Assistant to the Provost, she coordinates a range of special administrative duties and projects as assigned.