Camelio and Ramasamy
NSF appoints Camelio as I-Corps program director; Ramasamy appointed senior associate dean and co-director of the IIPA
Jaime Camelio, associate dean for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the University of Georgia College of Engineering, has been appointed as a program director for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program under the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP).
Camelio has served the UGA College of Engineering as associate dean since 2020. In this role, he has created programs that further the college’s strategic priorities while aligning those programs with UGA’s strategic plan. He has worked closely with faculty and school chairs to transform the college’s innovative leadership programs into national and international models for experiential learning in engineering. In addition, he has worked to fuse the college’s instruction and research with programs that promote leadership, entrepreneurship, and ethics.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the college research, innovation, and entrepreneurship activities. Our research expenditures are growing, we have more and stronger industrial partners, and more students than ever are engaged in entrepreneurial activities,” said Camelio. “However, there is still a lot to do. This NSF position is a great opportunity to learn and expand my toolbox to return to the college and keep working with the faculty and students to create a strong innovation ecosystem.”
As an NSF I-Corps program director, Camelio will oversee the program to build, utilize and sustain an innovation ecosystem that enhances the development of technologies, products and processes that benefit society. I-Corps prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the university laboratory, teaching NSF-funded researchers to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research and practical skills in entrepreneurship. Ultimately, the program accelerates the economic and societal benefits of NSF-funded, basic-research projects that are ready to move toward commercialization.
“Dr. Camelio has been instrumental in helping expand the research portfolio of the college and has worked across campus to build new programs in innovation and entrepreneurship for our students and faculty. I am certain that he will be just as successful in his new role at the National Science Foundation,” said Donald Leo, dean of the College of Engineering.
The transition of Camelio to the National Science Foundation will result in a reorganization of the dean’s office in the college. Rama Ramasamy will transition into the role of senior associate dean and be responsible for both research and academic affairs, in addition to stepping in as the co-director of the Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture.
“I want to thank Dr. Ramasamy for stepping into this new leadership position in the college. His experience as associate dean for academic affairs and his personal success at research and scholarship ensures that we will continue to strengthen both aspects of our college in the years to come,” said Leo.
Camelio’s NSF appointment is effective September 11 and Ramasamy will assume his new role on September 1.
