Biography

France A. Córdova became the eleventh President of Purdue University on July 16, 2007. She is also a member of the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. Prior to joining Purdue, Córdova served as chancellor at the University of California (UC) Riverside from 2002 to 2007, where she was also a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy. At UC Riverside she was instrumental in launching a medical school and a public policy school, as well as a community-university art museum complex. Under her watch, UC Riverside became a national model for the academic success of underrepresented students.

An internationally recognized astrophysicist, Córdova served from 1996 to 2002 as a professor of physics and vice chancellor for research at UC Santa Barbara and initiated a “Research Across Disciplines” program that funded and encouraged both interdisciplinary and “blue sky” projects. Before joining UC Santa Barbara, she was chief scientist at NASA from 1993 to 1996, serving as the primary scientific advisor to the NASA administration and the principal interface between NASA headquarters and the broader scientific community. In that role she evaluated the science mission and budget for NASA and worked with the National Science and Technology Council, federal government agencies, and National Academies on a broad range of science policy initiatives.

Córdova's scientific career contributions have been in the areas of observational and experimental astrophysics, multi-spectral research on x-ray and gamma ray sources, and space-borne instrumentation. She has published more than 150 scientific papers and was co-principal investigator for a telescope experiment that is currently flying on the satellite XMM-Newton, a cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency. She is the winner of NASA's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, and was recognized as a 2000 Kilby Laureate for “contributions to society through science, technology, innovation, invention, and education.”

She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008 and is a national associate of the National Academies. Córdova is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Association for Women in Science (AWIS). She has had several presidential appointments, including the Committee for the National Medal of Science, and most recently, the National Science Board.

Córdova is on the board of directors of BioCrossroads, Indiana's initiative to grow the life sciences through a public-private collaboration. She is a member of the board of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, the Indiana Energy Systems Network, and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. She is also on the boards of Edison International, Science Applications International Corporation, and the Mayo Clinic. She is a past member of the boards of the American Council on Education and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. She is a present or past member of several science and security policy committees for the National Research Council and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The oldest of twelve children, Córdova attended Stanford University, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English in less than four years. Among other activities, Córdova conducted anthropological fieldwork in a Zapotec Indian pueblo in Oaxaca, Mexico, and won a national writing competition to be a Mademoiselle magazine guest editor. She went on to earn her PhD in physics from the California Institute of Technology, and in 1997, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. In 2007, Córdova was given Caltech’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and she was named to Stanford’s Multicultural Hall of Fame in 2008.

Córdova is married to Christian J. Foster, a science educator, and they have two children in college. Córdova and Foster enjoy the outdoors, especially kayaking or canoeing on Indiana’s rivers and bicycling around Purdue. In the spring they plant corn, sunflowers, and chiles in their vegetable garden. During all seasons they cheer mightily for Purdue’s Boilermakers.