Faculty and Staff Leadership

Dr. Cecilia Martinez is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Director of the Engineering Management Graduate Program. She is an industrial and systems engineer with a Ph.D. in Engineering Management from Texas Tech University and a D.Sc. in Engineering Sciences from Monterrey Tech, Mexico.  

Over the past 20 years, she has worked on designing, planning, and deploying process improvement strategies across industry sectors. As a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, she also brings expertise from her two doctoral degrees and master’s in manufacturing systems to match the appropriate analytical techniques and problem-solving methodologies to industry projects’ needs. In leading the execution of projects, her focus has been on accruing operational and financial benefits and people’s growth and development. In addition, as a faculty member at UB, she works with undergrad, graduate, and working professionals to build up their STEM competencies.

As an Interim Faculty Director of WiSE, she aims to facilitate activities and resources for our UB students to help them stay motivated in their STEM studies and provide equal opportunities to pursue and thrive in their STEM careers. All of this, with the ultimate goal of narrowing down the gender gap, enhancing women’s economic security, and ensuring a diverse and talented STEM workforce.

The best way to contact Dr. Martinez is via email at cecimtz@buffalo.edu or by phone (716) 645-2357.

Cecilia Martinez, PhD
(she/her/hers)

WiSE Interim Faculty Director
Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Director of the Engineering Management Graduate Program
cecimtz@buffalo.edu

Sarah Baillie is the director of UB’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) program.  In this role, she organizes extracurricular networking, professional development, and outreach programs for WiSE students. She is available to meet with one-on-one to help students navigate their university experience, and to share resources and information about pursuing experiential learning opportunities. 

Sarah holds a BS in Wildlife Conservation from University of Delaware, a MS in Biology from Villanova University and a Master of Public Administration from University of Arizona. Over the course of her career, she has taught, been involved in research on bird behavior and worked at various universities and non-profits. In addition to her professional position, she is involved in environmental outreach, running and hiking.

Sarah draws on her own experience in the sciences and previous work on gender equity to grow and enhance the program, while helping WiSE students get everything they deserve out of their educational experience. In this role, she looks forward to being able to empower other women. If you’d like to set up a meeting with Sarah, please email her at ubwise@buffalo.edu or call (716) 645-3519. 

Sarah Baillie, MS, MPA
(she/her/hers)

WiSE Program Director
ubwise@buffalo.edu

Dr. Blanton is on sabbatical for 2023. Please reach out to the Interim Faculty Director or the Program Director with any questions.

Dr. Marina Blanton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and WiSE Faculty Director. She holds a BS degree on Computer Science from Tyumen State Oil and Gas University, Russia, a master's degree in Electrical Engineering with Computer Science concentration from Ohio University, a master's degree in Computer Science from Purdue University, and a PhD in Computer Science from Purdue University.

In her role of a CSE faculty member, Dr. Blanton teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and conducts research. Her research is in information security, privacy, and applied cryptography with over 70 peer-reviewed research publications. Dr. Blanton has won several awards for her research and is an active member of her research community.

In her role of WiSE Faculty Director, Dr. Blanton's goal is to help students succeed by means of building a community, providing support, and offering professional development opportunities. Together with WiSE Program Coordinator, she oversees WiSE events and activities and is looking forward to enriching student experiences and supporting diverse representation in science and engineering.

The best way to contact Dr. Blanton is via email at mblanton@buffalo.edu. Outside of work, she enjoys photography and spending time with her family.

Marina Blanton, PhD
(she/her/hers)

WiSE Faculty Director
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
mblanton@buffalo.edu