McCarthy’s research has earned him respect around the world. As principal investigator, he has obtained nearly $9 million in externally sponsored research grants and contracts, plus nearly $33 million in intellectual property donations to UMass Lowell. With a grant of $4 million from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, he founded the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), a signature program for the campus. He has also published widely, with more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, and holds eight U.S. and two international patents.
McCarthy’s three-year term will run from September 2012 through August 2015. Previous University Professors include Susan Braunhut (Biology), 2008–11; Ken Geiser (Work Environment), 2009–12; Robert Giles (Physics), 2010–13; and Regina Panasuk (Education), 2011–14.
A resident of Tyngsboro, McCarthy first joined the UMass Lowell faculty in 1984. He holds a bachelor’s degree in textile chemistry from Southeastern Massachusetts University, a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in macromolecular science from Case Western Reserve University.
There will be a reception in the fall to acknowledge McCarthy’s appointment; he will deliver the annual University Professor lecture the following spring.