Elizabeth (Betsy) Dumont
Elizabeth (Betsy) Dumont joined UC Merced as Dean of the School of Natural Sciences in August 2017 and is a Professor in the Life and Environmental Sciences department. She was named Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and began the role April 2024.
Previously, she served as vice provost for academic affairs and professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Dumont and her lab members study links between anatomy, behavior, ecology and biomechanics in the diversification of vertebrates. Most of her work focusses on neotropical leaf-nosed bats, but she has also published studies of birds, fishes, carnivorans, primates, moles and marsupials.
Dumont received her bachelor's degree with honors in anthropology from the Indiana University Bloomington and her Ph.D. in physical anthropology from Stony Brook University in New York.
An article detailing Dumont's journey and achievements leading up to her appointment as UC Merced Provost, marking her as the fifth individual and the first woman to permanently hold this role.
