University of Toledo

Dr. James Holloway was named the 19^th president of The University of Toledo on May 22, 2025, by the UToledo Board of Trustees following an extensive national search. He will assume the leadership role on July 15, 2025.

A nuclear engineer, Holloway’s career has been a mix of research, teaching, administration and global work, including in India, Ethiopia and Ghana. Throughout his career, he has championed inclusive excellence, expanded research capacity and fostered civic partnerships.

Holloway joins UToledo from the University of New Mexico, where he has served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs since July 2019. He is also a professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering. As provost, Holloway has been committed to providing students and faculty with the support needed to further the university’s academic mission and make a positive impact in a diverse and constantly evolving world. During his tenure, new first-year students increased by over 40%, reversing a long decline in enrollment; research expenditures in Academic Affairs units grew by 46%; and philanthropic giving doubled.

Before that, Holloway served two decades at the University of Michigan, where he was the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (now emeritus). He held leadership roles including vice provost for global engagement and interdisciplinary academic affairs, vice provost for global and engaged education, and associate dean for undergraduate education in the College of Engineering. His research focus is computational and mathematical modeling with applications in areas such as neutron and photon radiation transport theory, inverse problems and uncertainty quantification.

Born in Washington, D.C., into an Army family, he has lived in Thailand, Germany and four different U.S. states. Holloway earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois, completed advanced graduate work in mathematics at Cambridge University, and earned a doctorate in engineering physics from the University of Virginia. A native Midwesterner, Holloway and his family, including his wife, Johnna, and son, Patrick, are excited to join Rocket Nation.

Curriculum Vitae