IT Veteran Viji Murali Named to UC-Davis CIO Post
Higher ed IT veteran Viji Murali is stepping into the role of chief information officer and vice provost of information and educational technology at the University of California, Davis.
Murali comes to the university from a seven-year stint as vice president for information services and CIO for the Washington State University system. She succeeds Pete Siegel, who left UC Davis last year, and Professor Prasant Mohapatra, who served as interim vice provost and CIO.
"UC Davis is incredibly fortunate to recruit someone with Viji's experience and expertise," said Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi in a university statement. "She is a leader in her field, and her efforts will be essential in realizing our Vision of Excellence."
"I am excited to be joining a university with such a wonderful reputation, to lead the IT enterprise that contributes to the university's excellence, in everything from student success to research," said Murali in a press release. "I intend to develop a shared vision with the faculty, staff and students, and we will move the institution to even greater heights."
Murali's nearly three decades of experience in higher education IT include several positions at the University of Arizona as well as the vice president for information technology and CIO role at Western Michigan University, where she served for eight years before joining WSU.
According to the UC-Davis faculty and staff news service, her accomplishments at Washington State included:
- High-speed, 40GB-capable connectivity for faculty, linking WSU with other national research networks, including the Idaho Regional Optical Network (IRON) and the Pacific Northwest Gigapop;
- IRON connections for the system's urban campuses, allowing for the installation of several high-performance computing clusters for research;
- Wireless-N technologies and a new VoIP system; and
- Classroom upgrades across the state to support high-definition video.
Murali received a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from the Women's College at Osmania University in India and a master's in organic chemistry from Osmania's College of Science; at the Regional Research Laboratory, affiliated with Osmania, she worked toward a doctoral degree in organic chemistry.
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at rkelly@1105media.com.