2 Science Terp Faculty Members Named MPower Professors
Researchers pursuing collaborative work on pressing issues were awarded $150,000.
Seven faculty members—including two from the University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) and four from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB)—have been appointed 2025 MPower Professors, the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State (MPower) announced on Wednesday.
All have demonstrated collaboration on strategic research that would be unattainable or difficult to achieve by UMB or UMCP acting independently of one another, and they embrace the mission of MPower: to collectively strengthen and serve the state of Maryland and its citizens.
MPower Professors will each receive $150,000, allocated over three years, to apply to their salary or to support supplemental research activities. These funds recognize, enable and support strong collaborations between faculty in the joint research enterprise between UMCP and UMB.
“I’m deeply inspired by this incredible group of MPower Professors, who are not only dedicating themselves to solving some of the most complex problems facing society, but also embracing the power of cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration. By working together, we unlock new creative potential and develop innovative solutions that we couldn’t achieve alone,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “Together, we are stronger."
The new MPower Professors are 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 analyze complex biomedical data, to investigating lateral gene transfer in pathogens, creating new anti-tick vaccines and unveiling how stress influences chronic pain. Harnessing cutting-edge methods in bioinformatics, epidemiology and public health, these researchers are shaping the future of biomedical science while informing policies and practices that improve lives.
The 2025 MPower Professors are:
Michael Cummings is a professor in the Department of Biology and holds a joint appointment at the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). He also serves as the director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. Cummings’ research involves bioinformatics and computational biology with a particular focus on data analysis that spans a broad range of biomedical problems. He takes a broad data science approach to research with objectives including description, hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, and prediction, and uses machine learning, statistical and other methods. Cummings is a past recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship and an NVIDIA Global Impact Award. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Mihai Pop is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and director of UMIACS. 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, Pop is also 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. Pop earned a Ph.D. and M.S.E. in computer science from Johns Hopkins University.
