Mario Biagioli, a distinguished professor of law and communication at UCLA and leading scholar of law and technology, died on May 17 after a long illness.

Bolstering UCLA’s strength and impact in law and technology, Julia Powles is joining the Institute for Technology, Law and Policy as its executive director. Powles comes aboard after a worldwide search for a leader of the five-year-old institute, which is a collaboration between UCLA School of Law and UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.