Posted on August 23, 2023 by Wendy Frost
Wenbo Wu, the Graham Weston Endowed Professor and chair of the Department of Management Science and Statistics, has been accepted into the Texas Academic Leadership Academy (TALA) for the 2023-2024 academic year.
TALA is a year-long experience that develops leadership skills in aspiring academic leaders. TALA Fellows are guided by senior academic leaders and mentors from institutions across the state on topics such as finance in higher education, diversity, conflict management, free speech, faculty concerns, research, assessment, accreditation and strategic planning. Participating in the academy will help Wu advance in his current and future role as an academic leader and help UTSA advance as a model for student success and academic excellence. Wu is part of the sixth TALA cohort.
“UTSA is committed to seeking out and offering unique faculty development opportunities that help our faculty grow professionally and expand their leadership capacity,” said Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley. “Investing in faculty excellence allows UTSA to more effectively serve our diverse student population and provide innovative, outstanding educational and research opportunities that give students an advantage in their future careers.”
Wu, who joined UTSA in 2018, started as an assistant professor in the Carlos Alvarez College of Business. He earned tenure in 2021 and has quickly moved up the ranks, becoming interim chair of the management science and statistics department in October 2021 and then department chair in June 2022.
His research focuses on data analysis, including high-dimensional statistical modeling, machine learning, data mining and data visualization. He received the Dean’s Distinguished Research Award in 2021 for his contributions.
Wu also frequently collaborates with researchers in other domains such as finance, marketing, engineering and computer science.
He has chaired or been a member of over 20 committees for various academic programs, student dissertations, scholarship selections and faculty searches. Additionally, he has helped develop several new graduate-level courses in his department for both in-person and online modalities to serve the evolving needs of his students.
Wu spent three years on the faculty of the University of Oregon before joining UTSA. He earned his Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Georgia.
— Wendy Frost
