PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (November 16, 2022) — Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA, Vice President of Research & Innovation at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), has been elected to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Council on Research (COR) Executive Committee.
Dr. Rajan is one of eight Executive Committee members voted in by a nationwide election among the various Vice President of Research at land-grant universities across the United States. As a member of the COR Executive Committee, Vice President Rajan will serve a three-year term as a member of the 2025 class. In this role, Executive Committee members contribute to the development and consideration of the COR agenda, activities, and programs and serve on various special committees, groups, or task forces and comment on potential APLU policy deliberations.
Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA Vice President, Research & Innovation
Dr. Magesh Rajan says, “It is a privilege and honor to have been elected to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Council on Research (COR) Executive Committee. I want to express deep appreciation to the esteemed higher education leaders across the nation for entrusting me with the opportunity to provide leadership, representation and advocacy.”
“I deeply believe the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) as a research, policy, and advocacy organization and their work in strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico,” said Rajan
The association’s membership is comprised of more than 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations. Within the APLU, the COR consists of the senior university officers at member campuses and systems with responsibility for research strategy, policy, and administration.
The council provides an opportunity for vice presidents for research to share information and advice on common issues and university practices, government policies, and other regulations affecting research and innovation. Previously, COR working groups have developed strategies to approach such topics as university and industry collaboration, the future of the research system, research security, and improving the culture of safety and inclusion in campus laboratories and workspaces.
Vice President Rajan is a visionary, strategic and inclusive higher-education leader with more than 20 years of leadership experience uniquely blended in academics, research, and business entrepreneurship. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of Research & Innovation at Prairie View A&M University, a Texas A&M University System member. In this capacity, he also serves as the Chief Research Officer, Intuitional Official, and Empowered Official. He has been with the Texas A&M University System for over 13 years.
Before coming to PVAMU, he served as the Department Head with Dean’s Responsibilities for Electrical Engineering, as an Endowed Chair Professor at the School of Mines at SD, and Director of Plasma Engineering Research at Texas A&M Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC).
Additionally, Rajan lends his leadership to several prestigious boards, including the NASA Texas Space Grant Consortium Board, NASA Technology Collaboration Center Board, Center of Excellence for Advanced Multidisciplinary Projects Board, IEEE – Black Hills Section Board, and Del Mar Community College – Engineering Programs Board.
Under Dr. Rajan’s research leadership, Prairie View A&M University has been elevated to an R2-High Research Activity institution. He has established several private-public partnerships with industries, corporations and national labs. During his career, he has raised over $10 million in private funds and led $35 million in grants. In addition, he has published two textbooks, five book chapters, and over 100 original research publications.
Dr. Rajan has provided leadership for various areas of academic and administrative offices in higher education. In his career, he has led academic departments, research advancement, sponsored programs, compliance, export controls, graduate and undergraduate research, Title-III programs, innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship, economic development, marketing and communications. He has initiated several signature programs to strengthen the university. Selected initiatives include the RITI training institute, RISE & RAPID, and Panther-Invent programs for faculty and students. As an academic leader, he has provided leadership for faculty, staff, and student affairs, building external relationships and fundraising.
He has over ten years of entrepreneurial experience in founding and leading three successful technology-based start-up companies and led R&D, commercialization, and economic development efforts. He oversaw several federally funded interdisciplinary programs through DOD, DARPA, NSF, and NASA.
He led multidisciplinary research initiatives and several educational and broadening participation-sponsored programs, including LSAMP and McNair programs. Dr. Rajan has launched multiple diversity, equity, and inclusion-centered initiatives that significantly addressed gaps and improved morale and belonging at diverse institutions (PWI, MSI, HSI, HBCUs). During his career, he has increased faculty diversity by 50%, supported over 300 underrepresented students, led a staff equity initiative, and practiced an inclusive and shared governance leadership style.
He received his Ph.D. (U. of Wisconsin-Madison) and MS (U. of Tennessee-Knoxville) degrees in Electrical Engineering, and an MBA (Texas A&M-CC) in Strategic Management. He has completed the IEM and MLE (Harvard U.) programs in Higher Education Leadership, and the AGB Institute for Leadership & Governance in Higher Education. He is a licensed professional engineer (PE) in the State of Texas, a certified ABET National Engineering Accreditation program evaluator, and a Six Sigma Green Belt license holder. He is a Life Member of the Laser Institute of America (LIA) and the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) and a senior member of IEEE and the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS).
He is a recipient of several awards, including the Texas Corpus Christi Person of the Year award and the Texas A&M-CC excellence in research and scholarly activities, research excellence – the wall of fame, outstanding researcher, and excellence in teaching innovation awards. He has led the planning, development, and execution of vision and strategic plans resulting in significant faculty research success and overall program growth and national rankings. He has served in several federal and state funding agency panels, including Texas Governor’s Emerging Technology program.
The achievements combined with Vice President Rajan’s experience as a higher education leader and entrepreneur make him a valuable asset to the APLU Council on Research.
“APLU looks forward to working with Dr. Rajan over the next three years on the Council of Research Executive Committee,” said Kevin Cooke, Director of Research Policy at APLU. “His experience with multidisciplinary engineering programs through DoD and NASA, as well as the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, will be valuable contributions to the council. COR’s mission benefits by including university voices from across the country, and PVAMU’s perspective will strengthen our future advocacy and policy efforts.”
The APLU and COR benefit all member universities, including PVAMU. Furthermore, their continued advocacy for access, equity, quality, and security in research enterprises will advance the work of public universities and scientific breakthroughs for years to come.