Díaz de la Rubia chosen to lead research enterprise at University of Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents voted Wednesday (Sept. 11) to appoint Tomás Díaz de la Rubia as Oklahoma’s new vice president for research and partnerships, effective Sept. 30.

Díaz de la Rubia, Purdue’s chief scientific officer and senior vice president for strategic initiatives, has been at Purdue since August 2015, when he was chosen as Purdue’s chief scientist and executive director of Discovery Park. In his four years at Purdue, he has led Discovery Park to a strengthened focus, implementing initiatives such as the Big Idea Challenge rounds and the Integrative Data Science Initiative that have inspired faculty to think about their work in new and innovative ways. Díaz de la Rubia also has championed and initiated projects such as the Arequipa Nexus Initiative in Peru that have proven again that Purdue can produce tangible international impact and outcomes.

“We are, of course, happy for Tomás and grateful for what he has brought to Purdue over the past few years,” says President Mitch Daniels. “We’re no longer surprised when one of Purdue’s top administrators is recruited away. It’s a testament to the great work and the successes we are seeing from all our faculty, staff and students.”

The OU announcement is available here.