In September 2024, the UW welcomed its new vice chancellor for research, Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska. In this role, Brzezinska oversees 20 interdisciplinary research centers across campus and $1.73 billion in annual research expenditures at the UW. An expert in modern navigation tools and geodetic science, she also serves as a professor in the UW’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Before coming to the UW, Brzezinska earned a master’s degree in surveying engineering and land management systems from the University of Warmia and Mazury in her hometown of Olsztyn, Poland. In 1990, she went to Ohio State University as a Fulbright Scholar, where she earned her master’s degree and a doctorate in geodetic science. She spent much of her career at Ohio State, including roles as the vice president for knowledge enterprise; an engineering professor and department chair; and an associate dean for research.
Now at the UW, Brzezinska leads research operations for a university that is in the top 10 for highest research expenditures in the nation. On the April 15 episode of the UW Now Live, she’ll discuss the sheer volume of research conducted by Badgers, as well as explore areas of concern and opportunity for research amid threats to federal funding in higher education.
Chief Area of Research:
Brzezinska’s research accomplishments are in the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), an umbrella term for satellite-based navigation systems like GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, which provide positioning, navigation, and timing services worldwide. Her team developed several high-accuracy algorithms and multi-sensor integration systems for assured navigation in GNSS-challenged environments, sensors, and algorithms for indoor and personal navigation, and image-based navigation for autonomous platforms using artificial intelligence.
She is principal investigator of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Visioning Alliance, an ideation platform and multi-sector, all-engineering organization that identifies future engineering research directions. She also serves on the National Science Board (NSB) and the executive committee of the Council on Research of the Association of Public Land Grant Universities. NSB identifies issues that are critical to the National Science Foundation’s future, approves NSF’s strategic budget directions, and submits the annual budget to the Office of Management and Budget. The board also serves as an independent body of advisers to both the president and congress on policy matters related to science and engineering and education in science and engineering.
On the UW Now Live, She’ll Discuss:
Brzezinska will discuss the impacts of UW–Madison research, explore current the challenges facing the research enterprise, and provide a vision for the future and opportunities to grow the research enterprise and foster the Wisconsin Idea.
If There’s One Thing People Should Know, It’s:
According to Brzezinska, as the grand challenges of the 21st century come into focus, so do the opportunities for a university with UW–Madison’s breadth and depth to muster interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research, education, and workforce development that will address these challenges and directly contribute to societal health, economic well-being, and national security.
To Get Smart Fast, Check Out:
- State Impact website, which highlights the UW’s economic impact on the state of Wisconsin.
- UW Research website, including news on ongoing research at the UW and research expenditures.
