Vice President for Research Timothy Ford named chair of Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board

Timothy Ford, Ph.D., University of New England vice president for research and dean of graduate studies, has been appointed chair of the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board (MIEAB).

Established by the Legislature, MIEAB serves as the research and development planning arm for the state and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Coordinating Committee.

MIEAB coordinates the state's R&D activities and fosters collaboration among its higher education and nonprofit research institutions and the business community.

MIEAB consists of 30 members, appointed by the Governor, from a broad cross section of industry and technology sectors representing the breadth of research and development activities, from basic research to commercialization of new products and services. The board meets quarterly and is responsible, in conjunction with the Maine Office of Innovation, for the development and implementation of the state Science and Technology Action Plan. 

Dr. Ford has both directed and participated in water quality-related projects in the US, Canada, the UK, Mexico, India, Russia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and China. He has published more than 150 papers, chapters and review articles and has received funding from the NIH, NSF, EPA, NASA, the Office of Naval Research and the US Air Force.

As a faculty member at the Harvard School of Public Health, he both founded and directed the School's Program in Water and Health. Before coming to UNE, he was head of microbiology at Montana State University and served as principal investigator for the NIH-funded Montana Idea Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence Program.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.