About the President

“Grace” J. Wang 

17th President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Elected by the WPI Board of Trustees, Grace Wang, PhD, became WPI’s 17th president on April 3, 2023.  She is also a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.

Working closely with faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, and other partners, Wang leads WPI with a strong focus on enabling transformative, distinctive STEM education that prepares students for a rapidly changing world; fostering a highly immersive campus experience centered on well-being, belonging, and community; and growing high-impact research, innovation, and entrepreneurship that address complex societal challenges. 

Wang came to WPI from The Ohio State University where she served as executive vice president for research, innovation, and knowledge, and as a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.  At OSU, Wang helped expand the university’s research and innovation ecosystem, achieving $1.38 billion in annual R&D expenditures during her tenure. With a strong focus on supporting faculty, staff, and student researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs, Wang led the team to support curiosity-driven research; attract external funding to establish multiple large-scale, impact-driven, interdisciplinary research centers; launch campus-wide entrepreneurial activities; and enable experiential learning opportunities. Wang played a leading role in building a number of large-scale, strategic university-industry partnerships, setting the vision, and paving the pathways for the development of OSU’s Carmenton innovation district. 

Prior to OSU, Wang served in a series of increasingly complex leadership roles at the State University of New York. Appointed by the SUNY Board of Trustees, Wang started as vice chancellor for research and economic development for the SUNY System and was promoted to senior vice chancellor for research and economic development. Wang simultaneously served as the interim provost for the SUNY System for one academic year. For about two and half years, she held dual roles as the interim president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute and the senior vice chancellor for research and economic development of the SUNY System. She also served as a professor in the Department of Materials Design and Innovation at the flagship University at Buffalo.

Wang led the SUNY research enterprise with about $1.7 billion in annual R&D expenditures, advanced the research and economic development growth strategy, and significantly expanded research capacity in key areas. She supported a purposeful focus on identifying and implementing tools and resources to improve access and affordability at scale; enabling pathways for student success and completion; and fostering a supportive and welcoming campus culture. Wang was instrumental in building large-scale university-industry partnerships, including partnerships with IBM, Applied Materials, and Cree, to grow impact-driven research and innovation while fueling regional economic growth. She led SUNY Poly during the COVID-19 pandemic and prioritized the health of the community with a hands-on, caring approach. 

Before SUNY, Wang served as deputy assistant director for engineering and later as acting assistant director for engineering at the National Science Foundation. She oversaw a funding portfolio of more than $900 million, investing in frontier engineering research, supporting engineering education, and fostering innovation and technology commercialization. Previously at NSF, Wang was the director of the Industrial Innovation and Partnerships division. She started at NSF as a program director, focusing on investing in small businesses in the areas of nanotechnology, advanced materials, and manufacturing.

Wang began her career at IBM/Hitachi Global Storage Technologies where she focused on research and development of thin-film magnetic recording media and carbon overcoat for data storage. She holds seven US patents. 

In 2022, Wang was appointed by the White House to serve on the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee. She is a council member of the Government-University-Industry-Philanthropy Research Roundtable at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She is a member of the Board of Governors for the New York Academy of Sciences. She also serves on the Board of Massachusetts High Technology Council and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Wang was named a National Academy of Inventors fellow in 2024. 

Wang earned a PhD in materials science and engineering at Northwestern University.