Dr. Ismael E. Carreras

Dr. Ismael E. Carreras is a senior institutional research and analytics leader with 30 years of experience translating complex data into strategy across higher education, consulting, and biopharma. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation from Boston College and received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Bates College. He has taught graduate statistics for more than two decades, currently as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Connecticut and through a new engagement with Brown University's School of Professional Studies to develop and teach courses in Applied AI and Business Analytics.

Most recently, he served as Associate Dean for Strategic Analysis at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, where he oversaw an analytics and IR team serving the university's largest academic division for enterprise data platform modernization. He also co-chaired the Subcommittee on Administrative Innovation of the FAS Generative AI Task Force, where he designed and delivered AI adoption workshops. At Harvard, he was charged with supporting greater use of data and analytics to drive strategic decision making across all corners of the FAS and oversaw the FAS Institutional Research Office.

Career history

• Associate Dean for Strategic Analysis, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Chief Data Strategist and Director, University of Massachusetts Office of the President (appointed July 2018)
• Senior Vice President of Research, Maguire Associates, a higher education enrollment management consulting firm
• Business Analytics Professional, Eidetics/Quintiles Consulting (now IQVIA), biopharma consulting industry (over a decade)
• Graduate-level instructor in statistics and research design, Boston College and Northern Illinois University

What Dr. Carreras could bring to his role at MassArt: Based on his documented career, Dr. Carreras brings transformational expertise in converting institutional data into actionable strategy. At UMass, he transformed an underperforming IR function into a strategic asset; at Harvard, he led enterprise data modernization and AI adoption across the largest academic division. His ability to present analytics to Boards of Trustees, secure funding through data-driven initiatives, and translate complex quantitative analysis into stakeholder insights—combined with his teaching experience in applied AI and analytics—positions him to elevate MassArt's institutional research function, enhance data governance, and support evidence-based academic planning across the college.