Educate. Impact. Inspire.

Magesh Rajan, PhD., PE., MBA, leads research and innovation at Prairie View A&M University, a member of the Texas A&M University System, where he spearheads enterprise-wide strategies that expand discovery, strengthen partnerships, and connect student achievement with real-world outcomes. His leadership advances PVAMU’s commitment to scholarly excellence, interdisciplinary impact, and community-engaged research.

As Vice President for Research and Innovation, Rajan oversees the Office of Research Advancement, Office of Sponsored Programs, Research Compliance and Export Controls, Undergraduate Research, Title III Programs, Innovation-Commercialization-Entrepreneurship-Economic Development, and Research Communications. He has built systems and programs that elevate research capacity, enhance compliance infrastructure, and align resource growth with institutional priorities.

Rajan has been instrumental in launching initiatives that support faculty and student research success, including professional development pathways, rapid response funding mechanisms, and commercialization pipelines that connect university discovery with economic opportunity. His work fosters an inclusive research culture where faculty, staff, and students collaborate across disciplines and with external partners to address pressing societal challenges.

A licensed professional engineer in Texas and full professor of electrical engineering, Rajan has served in executive research and academic leadership roles for more than nine years within the Texas A&M University System. He previously held endowed academic leadership appointments, directed interdisciplinary engineering research laboratories, and provided strategic oversight for large-scale research and innovation operations.

In addition to academic leadership, Rajan has co-founded and led technology-based startup ventures, contributing to commercialization and economic development efforts that bridge research and marketplace impact.

Rajan’s scholarship includes more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, textbooks, and book chapters. His research has been supported by federal agencies and industry sponsors, and he has led interdisciplinary teams on projects funded through competitive grants that span fundamental discovery to applied innovation.

He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and an MBA in Strategic Management. He also completed executive leadership training in management and higher education at Harvard University. Rajan is a certified ABET program evaluator, a six-sigma green belt license holder, and a Life Member of the Laser Institute of America. He is also a senior member of the IEEE and the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society.