Tarleton State University Names Rupa Iyer Vice President for Research

Dr. Rupa Iyer

Dr. Rupa Iyer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 2, 2020

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Following a rigorous national search, Dr. Rupa Iyer has been appointed the first Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Development at Tarleton State University, effective Feb. 2, 2021. A veteran higher education administrator and scholar, she will expand research opportunities while developing strategic partnerships to meet workforce demands and spur business activity statewide.

“Dr. Iyer’s accomplishments as a scientist and forward-thinker make her the ideal leader to take Tarleton’s commitment to research and innovation to the next level,” said university President James Hurley. “We aspire to be the foremost university in faculty-led student research at the national level, and she has the experience to get us there.”

Iyer will head the new Center for Research, Innovation and Economic Development. As founding director of biotechnology programs at the University of Houston in 2005, she generated millions of dollars in state and federal funding to develop research and education programs and to design laboratories.

She was selected one of eight rising national research leaders by the Association of Land Grant and Public Universities for 2019-21 and received the Outstanding Woman in Science Award from the Association of Women in Science in 2020 and the University of Houston’s Distinguished Leadership in Teaching award. She also served as program director for the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Va., in 2017-19.

“I am thoroughly impressed by Tarleton’s level of commitment to research and creative expression,” she said. “What excites me most is the opportunity to help build the university’s research enterprise to foster scholarship and discovery at the second largest school in The Texas A&M University System.”

Tarleton is one of 119 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s prestigious 2020 Community Engagement Classification. Iyer said that presents an “opportunity to engage in collaborative partnerships and seek solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges facing rural communities through applied research and community outreach.”

Iyer began her career at Wharton County Junior College before joining the University of Houston, where she serves as Professor of Biotechnology, Founding Director of Biotechnology Programs, and Director of the Center for Life Sciences Technology.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from St. Xavier’s College in India, a master’s in biotechnology from the University of Mumbai (India) and a PhD from Michigan State University. She conducted postdoctoral research at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston through the University of Texas.

Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 14,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.

Contact: 
254-968-1620

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.
dingbat
Tags: Academic Affairs, Administration, Alumni, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, College of Education, College of Graduate Studies, College of Health Sciences, College of Liberal & Fine Arts, College of Science & Mathematics, Division of Research, Innovation and Economic Development, Dr. Sam Pack College of Business, Performing & Fine Arts, Tarleton State Fort Worth, Tarleton State Online, Tarleton State Waco