Dear UMBC Community, 

 

I write to you today with the sad news that Antonio Moreira, UMBC’s long-serving vice provost for academic affairs, has died. Tony passed away May 21 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. 

 

Tony has been a trusted colleague and an academic leader at UMBC for decades, having served in the provost’s office since 1995. He has been a valued colleague and partner to me personally, as well as to all in the provost’s office and across campus. His devotion to UMBC and to academic excellence, his integrity, and his deep caring for students, faculty, and staff permeated everything he did. 

His impact on the university has been profound, including through his leadership of Institutional Research, Analysis, and Decision Support; the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery; the Center for Global Engagement; the Hilltop Institute; and the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services. Over the years, he helped lead the strengthening of UMBC’s academic profile and reputation and contributed significantly to the enhancement of opportunities afforded to our students and faculty through international programs and academic partnerships. He played a major role in all academic planning and academic space planning on campus, chaired the campus IT Steering Committee, the Classroom Committee, and the UMBC Diversity Council. 

 

Tony joined UMBC in 1990 as professor and director of the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Program, and he served as associate dean of what was then the College of Engineering before taking on the role of associate provost for academic affairs in 1995. He became vice provost in 1997, serving under five provosts during his tenure with the office. Throughout, Tony maintained teaching and research responsibilities and mentored many graduate students in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, and he served as director of the Biochemical Regulatory Engineering program. He served on the International Board of Directors for the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering and as an associate editor for the Parenteral Drug Association’s Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology. 

 

Tony earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Porto in his native Portugal, completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical and biochemical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and did postdoctoral work at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He served for several years on the faculty of Colorado State University and then spent a decade in the private biopharma sector before returning to academia and joining the UMBC community. During his time in the private sector, Tony led the biotechnology development group at Merck that brought alpha interferon to the market. Since joining UMBC, he has played a major role in promoting UMBC’s international reputation, spearheading research and scholarly collaboration with the University of Porto and the country of Portugal. He was honored by the president of Portugal with the National Order of Public Education and awarded the title of Comendador. 

 

Tony will be long remembered for his kindness and decency as a mentor, colleague, and friend. I know his students, friends, and colleagues throughout the university and well beyond this campus will miss him deeply. 

He is survived by his loving wife, Maria; daughters, Cecilia and Joana; their husbands, Christopher and Thomas; and four granddaughters, Danielle, Alexandra, Leanne, and Juliet. Our thoughts and condolences are with them during this difficult time. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held on June 11 at 5 p.m. at the University of Maryland College Park Chapel. 

Sincerely,