Díaz de la Rubia named chief scientific officer, senior vice president for strategic initiatives

Tomás Díaz de la Rubia has been named chief scientific officer and senior vice president for strategic initiatives at Purdue University. Díaz de la Rubia was previously the vice president for Discovery Park and is entering his fifth year at Purdue. The change was recently approved by Purdue’s Board of Trustees.

“Tackling different challenges facing today’s society through the research being conducted at Discovery Park and across Purdue University has been an honor, and I am thrilled to continue to do so through this new position. We must constantly ideate and brainstorm new, high value strategic initiatives that help continue to strengthen Purdue’s impact on society,” Díaz de la Rubia said. “I hope to continue building on the achievements of our talented and innovative faculty researchers as we continue to focus on significant issues such as human health, energy, food and water.” 

Purdue President Mitch Daniels said that under Díaz de la Rubia’s leadership, Discovery Park has a strengthened focus, adding that ideas such as the Big Idea Challenge rounds and the Integrative Data Science Initiative have inspired faculty to think about their work in new and innovative ways, and projects such as the Arequipa Nexus Initiative in Peru have proven that Purdue can produce tangible international impact and outcomes.