Vice President of RIED

Dr. Rupa Iyer’s Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Rupa Iyer is the inaugural Vice President of Research, Innovation and Economic Development and Professor of Biology at Tarleton State University and is leading the planning, implementation, and oversight for a university-wide strategic initiative to expand sponsored research and innovation and promote partnerships to stimulate economic development. During her tenure, she has implemented cohesive collaboration and communication strategies to engage internal and external stakeholders to organize the Division from ground up. She has brokered new partnerships to successfully increase new funding, large funding and led creation of new research strengths, developed tools to enhance faculty research, capture research expenditures. In the last 3 years, Tarleton State consistently increased research expenditures and HERD rankings in her history. Iyer led the creation of the first EDA funded Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in North Texas to support rural entrepreneurs. She has also led the creation of two new institutes, The Biotechnology Research and Innovation Institute (TAMUS -Fort Worth) and the Institute for Rural Research and Economic development, both to support regional innovation ecosystems and drive economic development through research, especially in underserved communities.