Dear UMB Community,

We are pleased to announce that seven professors from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) have been named MPower Professors. Professors from each university received this distinction from the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower), which recognizes, incentivizes, and fosters collaborations between faculty in Baltimore and College Park.

Please join us in congratulating these innovative researchers and outstanding leaders who were carefully chosen from a strong, competitive pool of nominations spanning both universities. The seven selected for this honor are working across disciplines to address the most complex challenges facing society today. The new cohort of MPower Professors is pushing boundaries at the intersection of data science, genomics, infectious diseases, and pain research. Their endeavors range from developing advanced statistical and computational tools to analyzing complex biomedical data, to investigating lateral gene transfer in pathogens, creating new anti-tick vaccines, and unveiling how stress influences chronic pain. Each professor will receive $150,000, allocated over three years, to apply to their salary or to support supplemental research activities.

The 2025 MPower Professors:

Shuo Chen, PhD, MSPH, MS, is a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). He also serves as director of biostatistics and data science at the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing and the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. A biostatistician, Dr. Chen specializes in modeling complex, structured biomedical big data using statistical network models and machine learning/artificial intelligence methods. Dr. Chen also has broad experience in collaborative biostatistical research across the medical and public health fields. As an advisor to multiple PhD students and postdoctoral fellows from UMCP and UMB, he is devoted to mentoring the next generation of statisticians and data scientists. Dr. Chen received his PhD and a Master of Science in Public Health from Emory University and a master’s in mathematics and statistics from East Tennessee State University.

Michael Cummings, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Biology in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) at UMCP and holds a joint appointment at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). He also serves as director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. Dr. Cummings’ research involves bioinformatics and computational biology with a focus on data analysis that spans a broad range of biomedical problems. He takes a broadly data science approach to research with objectives including description, hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, and prediction, and uses machine learning, statistical, and other methods. Dr. Cummings is a past recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship and the NVIDIA Global Impact Award. He received his PhD from Harvard University. 

Julie Dunning Hotopp, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and a scientist at the Institute for Genome Sciences at UMSOM. Dr. Dunning Hotopp’s research focuses on the understanding of the “rules of life” through the genomes and transcriptomes of multiorganismal systems, including genomics of numerous pathogens and their hosts. Her most significant scientific contribution relates to the groundbreaking documentation of extensive lateral gene transfer between symbionts and invertebrates. She also was part of a team that discovered two new Y chromosomes in dangerous filarial nematodes that cause tropical diseases that debilitate millions of people globally. Dr. Dunning Hotopp obtained her PhD in microbiology and molecular genetics from Michigan State University. 

Utpal Pal, PhD, MSc, is a professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UMCP. He also serves as a molecular and cellular biology professor for the Biological Sciences Graduate Program in CMNS. Dr. Pal’s research focuses on common tick-borne infections, primarily Lyme disease. With over 100 publications in reputable academic journals and books, he has provided professional services to federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has a long-term collaboration with Merck & Co. to develop novel anti-tick vaccines. He earned his PhD and master’s in zoology from the University of Calcutta in India. He completed postdoctoral training at the Yale University School of Medicine. 

Mihai Pop, PhD, MSE, is a professor in the Department of Computer Science in CMNS and director of UMIACS. Dr. Pop’s research focuses on the development of sequence assembly algorithms and analysis of genomic data sets. His lab developed widely used computational tools for the analysis of genomic and metagenomic data. A trailblazer in the human microbiome field, Dr. Pop also is globally recognized for his efforts to diversify the computer science and computational biology communities while enhancing the international profile of microbiome research at UMB and UMCP through collaboration. Dr. Pop earned a PhD and master’s in computer science from Johns Hopkins University. 

Fadia Shaya, PhD, MPH, is a UMB Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, as well as an affiliate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UMSOM. Dr. Shaya co-directs the Informatics Core, directs the Dissemination and Implementation Core in the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, and is executive director of the Population Health Program. Her research, continuously funded externally, is based in human data science, developing methods in pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, public health, and clinical informatics to inform practice and policy. Dr. Shaya obtained a PhD in health policy, finance, and management from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a doctoral health economics degree from the Sorbonne University Paris-IX Dauphine, and a Master of Public Health from American University of Beirut.

Richard J. Traub, PhD, is a professor and chair of the Department of Neural and Pain Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. He was an early researcher investigating the role of gonadal hormones underlying sex differences in visceral pain and the circuitry and mechanisms contributing to the transition from transient to chronic visceral pain. Most recently, his research has focused on the effects of stress on visceral and orofacial pain using animal models of chronic overlapping pain conditions. Dr. Traub has served as a regular and ad hoc member of numerous NIH study sections since 2005 and a reviewer for over 25 journals. He earned his PhD in neurobiology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and completed postdoctoral work at NIH and the University of Iowa.

We are extremely proud to recognize this talented group of MPower Professors, who truly embody the MPower mission of fostering innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Sincerely,