ARM Institute Announces Addition of New Board Member

ARM Institute Announces Addition of New Board Member

Julie Chen, Ph.D. joins the board of the nation’s leading robotics and AI manufacturing innovation institute

PITTSBURGH, PA March 20, 2023 – The ARM Institute announced that Dr. Julie Chen, Ph.D. has joined the non-profit organization’s Board of Directors. Chen will work with other board members and ARM Institute leadership to help the organization fulfill its mission to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative robotics technologies and related workforce strategies that are the foundation of every advanced manufacturing activity today and in the future.

A mechanical engineering professor and recognized leader in research, STEM and economic development in higher education, Julie Chen is currently the Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell), a role she has held since July 2022. Previously, Chen served as vice chancellor for research and economic development, a role that included managing industry partnerships, technology transfer, startups and innovation, core research facilities, and economic development programs.

As UMass Lowell’s chief research officer, Chen facilitated numerous innovative models that brought together industry, government, and academia. For example, she facilitated the Fabric Discovery Center, the nation’s first center to integrate three Manufacturing USA Institutes, including the ARM Institute. The center integrates expertise in smart textiles, flexible electronics and robotics with the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center as well as the university’s Innovation Hub and medical device, biotech and technology incubators.

Chen joined the UMass Lowell faculty in 1997 after six years as an assistant professor at Boston University. She spent 2002-2004 in Washington, D.C., as director for the Materials Processing and Manufacturing as well as the Nanomanufacturing programs at the National Science Foundation.

Chen has served on many editorial boards, advisory committees, and review panels for journals and federal agencies including the National Science Foundation; the National Institutes of Health; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; the U.S. Department of Energy; and the U.S. Department of Defense.  Leveraging her expertise in materials, nanomanufacturing, and advanced manufacturing, she has testified before Congress and represented the United States in several international workshops.

Chen serves on boards of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and MassTech Collaborative, as well as the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative and the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force.

An advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, Chen served as co-lead for UMass Lowell’s Council on Social Justice and Inclusion. Additionally, she was a co-principal investigator on a $3.5 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to support and elevate women faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.

Chen received her Ph.D., Master of Science, and Bachelor of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in mechanical engineering, where she was a student athlete and Academic All-American in softball and field hockey.

“I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact of the ARM Institute to bring partners together to advance our nation’s manufacturing power,” Chen said. “UMass Lowell researchers have long been proud to work closely with the ARM Institute. It’s my honor to join the board and I’m excited to contribute to the continued growth of the next generation of American manufacturing.”

“The University of Massachusetts Lowell has been a critical partner of the ARM Institute, particularly in the area our metrics and testing efforts for robotics,” stated Ira Moskowitz, ARM Institute CEO.  “Dr. Chen has been a prominent advocate of multiple Manufacturing Institutes for many years.  We are honored to have her join our Board and look forward to her contributions.”

ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE

The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse ecosystem of 390+ consortium members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience.  Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and Twitter.