Michele Masucci, Ph.D.

Dr. Masucci is responsible for promoting and developing strategic research and business partnerships among the USM campuses, state and federal government, laboratories and agencies, corporations and industry, and other public and private higher education institutions. A major focus of these efforts includes areas of science and technology that impact the economic and workforce development of Maryland such as life sciences, clean energy, “big data,” cyber security, and advanced manufacturing.

Prior to joining USM, Masucci was responsible for managing enterprise-wide grant services, research development, regulatory compliance, and technology transfer for all research activities across Temple University and in partnership with Temple Health.

Masucci first joined Temple in 1997 as a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies. At Temple University, she has served as department chair, center director, and research enterprise leader. She was appointed vice provost for research in 2012 and promoted to vice president in 2015 and was credited with managing a substantial increase in research productivity at Temple—which reached an annual high of $268.2 million in awards and $299.8 million in research expenditures in Fiscal Year 2021 (as reported to the National Science Foundation Survey of Higher Education Research and Development).

Masucci received both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University in 1986 and 1987, respectively. She also holds a B.S. in Geography and Regional Planning from a USM institution, Salisbury University (1982). She held tenure-track appointments at West Georgia University and Auburn University before joining the Temple faculty.

Masucci’s academic research examines how information barriers impact community development and environmental quality—including access to health, education, and social services. She has also worked to develop university-community partnerships with organizations that address human rights issues, and with a number of national and international community and environmental planning organizations.