University of Connecticut researcher Dr. Fumiko Hoeft has been selected as the new permanent UConn Waterbury campus director, effective Dec. 30.
Hoeft, who had been the interim director of the Waterbury campus since May, was selected permanent campus director following a search for a candidate by a committee that included university representatives and local leaders including Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary.
Hoeft replaces longtime Waterbury campus director William Pizzutto, who retired earlier this year.
According to the university, Hoeft built relationships with several local organizations and businesses, including Waterbury Hospital and Waterbury-based St. Mary’s Hospital, during her tenure as interim director.
Hoeft told the university that her “varied background in medicine and health sciences, my research and clinical experience, my love for community outreach and working with the community all comes together really nice at this campus.”
Hoeft joined UConn in 2018 as director of the Brain Imaging Research Center and professor of psychological sciences. She had previously worked at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences at the University of California-San Francisco.
The UConn Waterbury campus has about 1,000 undergraduate students.