The people who provide IT services at UW‑Madison are working every hour of every day to help support the Wisconsin Idea so that the university can help improve people’s lives beyond the classroom.
Chief Information Officer & Vice Provost for Information Technology
Didier Contis
Email:
didier.contis
Meet the Chief Information Officer
Address:
2112 Computer Sciences, 1210 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706
Didier Contis (dee-dee-AY kon-TEES) serves as the chief information officer and vice provost for information technology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a position he has held since July 2025. In his role, Contis leads the university’s information technology strategy and ensures enterprise IT resources support the university’s mission and goals.
Contis has extensive experience in higher education IT leadership. He previously served as the executive director of academic technology, innovation and research computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he developed technology strategies that helped the institute achieve its research, teaching and learning goals.
Born and raised in France, Contis moved to the U.S. in 1999 to begin his IT career at Georgia Tech, where he also served as interim chief information security officer, led the institute’s response to a university-wide security audit, and served as interim associate vice president for data strategy and analytics.Contis specializes in creating innovative technology solutions that support teaching, learning and research and is an advocate for the safe and responsible use of extended reality (XR) technologies in higher education. His significant accomplishments include launching the first large-scale virtual computer lab that let students access scientific and engineering software from anywhere, anytime, on any device. He also helped create a shared cloud computing system that supports research and instruction across multiple academic units.
Contis is a co-author on several academic publications on cybersecurity, network intrusion detection and educational technology. He taught classes focused on using data to make better decisions and is interested in applying knowledge graphs for data analytics. He was the co-principal investigator for CollabNext, a National Science Foundation-supported project that aims to create an open knowledge graph to help connect researchers with potential collaborators. He partnered with the University of Michigan and the New School and co-taught training sessions on XR security, privacy, safety and ethics for higher education professionals.
Background
Areas of specialization
- Research computing and cybersecurity
- Academic technology innovation
- Data strategy and analytics
- Extended reality (XR) technologies in education
- Cloud computing and virtualization
- Strategic IT partnerships
Education
- Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Diplôme d’Ingénieur (Bachelor’s degree), École des Mines de Nantes, France
About the Chief Information Officer
The vice provost for information technology and chief information officer (CIO) oversees UW–Madison’s technology infrastructure, data management and digital strategy.
Working closely with advisory and governance groups, the CIO leads the development, delivery and support of university-wide IT services, including network operations, cybersecurity, digital teaching and learning systems and research computing resources. The CIO leads technology planning and policy development to support academic programs, research initiatives and administrative operations while ensuring data privacy and regulatory compliance.
The CIO directs the Division of Information Technology (DoIT), the principal locus of the university’s IT operations, as well as the offices of the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer.
Who does IT@UW–Madison?
Division of Information Technology
DoIT is a center of campus IT operations, providing IT services & support to faculty, staff and students as well as their schools, divisions, departments and units.
More campus IT providers
A variety of other IT providers are distributed across campus, performing IT functions and providing IT services for schools, divisions, departments and units.
Example of ongoing work
From large scale projects to everyday learning opportunities, UW–Madison IT professionals support the mission of teaching, research and service with innovative and creative solutions.
Interested in working at UW–Madison?
IT news
IT and CIO news
Learn how to use Microsoft Copilot & Google Gemini
Get AI basics with Learn@UW in these one-hour virtual workshops: Feb 24, Mar 24, Apr 16 & Apr 30.
Honor a colleague who raises the bar
Do you know someone who continually goes above and beyond in the intelligent use of technology in higher education? Don’t miss this opportunity to recognize changemakers in the 2026 EDUCAUSE Awards. Nomination deadline: Mar 27.
FREE webinars from EDUCAUSE
Upcoming higher ed and technology topics include building a personal brand, collaborative cybersecurity, and strategies to foster cooperation: “People Usually Don’t Get Along, and What IT Leaders Can Do About It.”
Submit your proposal for the 2026 IT Professionals Conference
Have you solved a tricky problem with a creative solution? Implemented an innovative new tool or process? Share your insights with colleagues across campus. Deadline: Mar 27 at 5pm.
Enhancing Online Education: designing assessments & fostering community
Do you teach online or hybrid courses? Learn how to accurately measure course learning outcomes, and adopt strategies to create relationships in course learning communities. Webinars: Feb 20 & Mar 13.
