UMass Dartmouth Associate Provost Dr. Ramprasad Balasubramanian (Ram Bala) was chosen as the UMass designee to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Board of Directors by UMass President Marty Meehan.

Balasubramanian currently serves as the Associate Provost for Decision Support and Strategic Initiatives where he focuses on critical strategic outcomes in the areas of enrollment, student success, and research expansion. 

In 2019, he established the Marine and UnderSea Technology Research Program to support the development of research of naval relevance and workforce development in the marine technology areas in collaboration with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport and regional marine technology industries. 

The program is currently overseeing research projects that focus on undersea technologies, sensing and communication, energy materials, battery technology, and ocean dynamics. 

“Dr. Ram Bala will bring tremendous knowledge and expertise to the MassCEC Board, especially in research endeavors related to ocean technology, and how they can be integrated with job creation initiatives throughout Massachusetts,” UMass President Marty Meehan said. 

Balasubramanian’s research interests include Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Robotics, Computer Vision, Decision Support Systems, and Computing Education. His current focus of research in mobile robotics is in the area of Multi-vehicle autonomy, SLAM, and autonomy-related issues of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles.

“I want to thank President Meehan for the opportunity to collaborate with the MassCEC to continue the Commonwealth’s investment in growing the future of energy,”  Balasubramanian said. “Research from UMass Dartmouth and the entire UMass System are drivers of the clean energy economy and I look forward to capitalizing on this strength.”