Mission – exploring, supporting, and coordinating research and education in the natural and mathematical sciences through innovative thinking, and responsibility to our students, staff, faculty, and society.
Vision – to be recognized and respected as a premier research college with a diverse and dynamic network of faculty and staff who work to collaboratively extend the boundaries of science and pursue excellence in the delivery and innovation of teaching and learning in STEM.
Values – knowledge, excellence, scholarship, integrity, innovation, inclusion, accountability, service, and community
History – the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) was established in 2005 when UMBC’s long-standing College of Arts and Sciences was reorganized into the CNMS and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. At that time, the college was comprised of the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics. In 2010, the Department of Marine Biotechnology, which is located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, was welcomed into the College as part of the reorganization of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Starting in 2016, the Department of Naval Science and Department of Military Science Programs joined CNMS. During this time, CNMS also continued to expand the applied biotechnology programs at the University of Shady Grove.
Current Leadership –Dr. Marc Seigar was appointed as CNMS Dean in July 2026. Marc earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the Liverpool Astrophysics Research Institute and his bachelor of science in physics from Imperial College London. He began his career as an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Marc brings a strong background in academic leadership to his new role. Prior to his leadership at the University of Toledo, he served as a rotating program director in the Division of Astronomical Sciences at the National Science Foundation and as an associate dean in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering and head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Marc is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an associate of the Royal College of Science. He is also a member of the American Astronomical Society and the Sigma Xi honors society. He has served in editorial roles for journals in his field and currently serves on the editorial board of the Effective Practices for Physics Programs project, a project that is led by the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers.
Past Leadership – Former CNMS Deans include, Dr. William R. LaCourse, who was appointed as CNMS Dean in 2011 to 2026 after serving as and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 2008 to 2011. Dr. Philip Rous preceded Dr. LaCourse as the CNMS Dean from 2008 to 2011, at which time he was appointed as the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at UMBC. Founding Dean Dr. Geoffrey Summers, who retired in 2013, led the college through 2008 when he was appointed to the position of Vice President for Research.