Eric Michielssen will step down from his position as Associate Vice President for Research – Advanced Research Computing on December 31, 2018, after serving in that leadership role for almost six years. Dr. Michielssen will return to his faculty role in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering.

Under his leadership, Advanced Research Computing has helped empower computational discovery through the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering (MICDE), the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS), Advanced Research Computing-Technology Services (ARC-TS) and Consulting for Statistics, Computing and Analytics Research (CSCAR).

In 2015, Eric helped launch the university’s $100 million Data Science initiative, which enhances opportunities for researchers across campus to tap into the enormous potential of big data. He also serves as co-director of the university’s Precision Health initiative, launched last year to harness campus-wide research aimed at finding personalized solutions to improve the health and wellness of individuals and communities.

The Office of Research will convene a group to assess the University’s current and emerging needs in the area of research computing and how best to address them.