{"id":96705,"date":"2026-01-21T03:45:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T07:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=96705"},"modified":"2026-01-22T10:44:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T14:44:48","slug":"research-vice-president-to-advance-innovate-toledo-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/01_21_2026\/research-vice-president-to-advance-innovate-toledo-initiative","title":{"rendered":"Research Vice President to Advance Innovate Toledo Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Toledo has appointed Dr. Grace Bochenek, a nationally recognized research executive and former senior federal leader, as Vice President for Research.<\/p>\n

Bochenek, who will join UToledo on Monday, Feb. 2, brings decades of experience leading large-scale, mission-driven research enterprises at the intersection of academia, government and industry.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot

Dr. Grace Bochenek is a nationally recognized research executive and former senior federal leader. She will join UToledo on Monday, Feb. 2,\u00a0as vice president for research.<\/p><\/div>\n

Bochenek previously served as director of the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s National Energy Technology Laboratory and was appointed acting Secretary of Energy during a presidential transition. Earlier in her career, she held senior executive roles within the U.S. Army, including chief technology officer for the Army Materiel Command. Most recently, she served as professor and director of the School of Modeling, Simulation and Training at the University of Central Florida.<\/p>\n

Bochenek brings an extensive record of senior federal and academic leadership aligned with UToledo\u2019s Carnegie R1 Classification<\/a> and with the goals of Innovate Toledo, one of three initiatives UToledo President James Holloway championed in his inauguration address<\/a> to grow the institution\u2019s research impact and strengthen the region economically.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Bochenek\u2019s commitment to innovation and next-generation technology and its applications for the workforce are a great fit for leading UToledo\u2019s environment of discovery to advance knowledge in support of our region,\u201d Holloway said. \u201cI am excited to bring an experienced research leader to campus with an accomplished career in security and energy research to our University. I look forward to her efforts working with UToledo faculty and industry partners to support research and scholarship, innovation, economic development and entrepreneurship, and to her leadership in realizing our Innovate Toledo initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an honor to join The University of Toledo at such a pivotal moment as Innovate Toledo is shaping the future of the institution,\u201d said Bochenek, who also will serve as a professor with tenure in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in the UToledo College of Engineering. \u201cUToledo\u2019s R1 research strength, its role as a public metropolitan and academic medical center, and its strong culture of interdisciplinary scholarship combined with deep ties to regional and national partners create exceptional opportunities to accelerate discovery, translate innovation into real-world impact and prepare the next generation of researchers and leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

As vice president, Bochenek will provide strategic leadership for UToledo\u2019s research enterprise, advancing discovery, innovation and partnerships that strengthen the University\u2019s R1 research profile, expand external funding and accelerate the translation of research into real-world impact. Her portfolio includes oversight of sponsored programs, research development and compliance, technology transfer and commercialization, clinical and translational research and initiatives that support regional economic development and national competitiveness.<\/p>\n

Across her career, Bochenek has been recognized for building high-performing research organizations, advancing technology commercialization and aligning research investments with national priorities. Her leadership has consistently focused on strengthening research capacity, developing the future workforce and ensuring that discovery delivers measurable societal and economic benefits.<\/p>\n

An industrial engineer, Bochenek\u2019s area of research focuses on applying digital twins and other modeling and simulation research for applications in defense, energy, microelectronics and semiconductor fabrication, smart cities, space and transportation.<\/p>\n

Bochenek earned her Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Central Florida, a master\u2019s degree in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Michigan \u2013 Dearborn, and bachelor\u2019s degrees in electrical engineering from Wayne State University and nutritional science from Michigan State University.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Headshot<\/a>

Dr. Grace Bochenek is a nationally recognized research executive and former senior federal leader. She will join UToledo on Monday, Feb. 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":96706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,1,3,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96705"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96705"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96714,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96705\/revisions\/96714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}