WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Purdue University announced Monday (Nov. 25) the appointment of Luna Lu, the Reilly Professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, as vice president of the Office of Industry Partnerships, or OIP. Lu, who will report to the senior vice president for partnerships and online with a dotted line to the executive vice president for research, begins this new role Jan. 1, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The OIP facilitates collaboration between businesses and university faculty, staff and students to create mutually beneficial relationships that drive innovation, research and economic impact. It directly executes on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, the OIP collaborates closely with the Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) and the Office of the Provost to refer industry partners for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The OIP also serves as a one-stop shop, providing internal support to all units and acting as a concierge for external industry partners. All master research agreements with industry will continue to be negotiated by the Office of Research in partnership with the OIP and PRF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dimitrios Peroulis, senior vice president for partnerships and online, said he\u2019s excited that Lu is part of Purdue\u2019s leadership team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProfessor Lu\u2019s extensive experience as an academic leader, researcher, educator and entrepreneur, as well as her visionary leadership, will be instrumental in driving impactful partnerships that advance research, enhance collaboration opportunities and contribute to economic growth. We are confident that her appointment will further strengthen Purdue\u2019s position as a leader in industry engagement and innovation,\u201d Peroulis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the appointment, Lu will step down as associate dean of faculty in the College of Engineering. She will remain as Reilly Professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering with a courtesy appointment in the School of Materials Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lu assumes this new role at a time when Purdue is witnessing unprecedented growth in the research ecosystem and creation of strategic partnerships, both domestically and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m equally humbled and thrilled to contribute to Purdue\u2019s remarkable journey of discovery and collaboration,\u201d Lu said. \u201cIndustry partnerships are at the cornerstone of many of the university\u2019s successes in research, innovation and product creation. I look forward to working with our dedicated faculty, staff and partners to drive forward our shared mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to her academic and research expertise, Lu is the founder and CEO of Wavelogix, a Purdue-rooted startup that developed the REBEL concrete strength sensing system. The sensors are embedded into fresh concrete and can measure the concrete\u2019s strength levels in real time, conveying when highway pavement is strong enough for traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wavelogix\u2019s sensor system has garnered national industry recognition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cristina Farmus paused her responsibility as vice president for special projects to serve as interim vice president of OIP earlier this year. She now resumes as vice president for special projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe extend our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Cristina Farmus for her exceptional leadership and dedication as the interim vice president for industry partnerships over the past several months. Her efforts have laid a strong foundation for future partnerships that will continue to benefit our students, faculty and the broader community,\u201d Peroulis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lu\u2019s research centers on the discovery and engineering of functional nanomaterials and devices to enable smart infrastructure systems. She has authored two books, six book chapters and more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, and holds 10 published and provisional patents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her research has garnered several prestigious awards and honors, including the 2014 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the 2019 Purdue Faculty Scholar, the 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers Gamechanger recognition, the 2022 ASCE Alfred Noble Prize, the Fellow of Royal Society of Arts in 2022, and a 2024 R&D 100 finalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue\u2019s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap \u2014 including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative \u2014 at https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/president\/strategic-initiatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n