In a significant move poised to reshape the innovation landscape at the University of Virginia (UVA), Paul Cherukuri has been named as the institution’s first Chief Innovation Officer, holding concurrently the prestigious Donna and Richard Tadler University Professorship in Entrepreneurship. This appointment signals UVA’s amplified commitment to fostering a cross-disciplinary innovation ecosystem that bridges academia, commerce, and society at large. Cherukuri is set to officially begin his tenure on October 1, following a thorough national search, marking a pivotal transition in UVA’s strategic efforts to drive impactful entrepreneurship and technological advancement.
The Donna and Richard Tadler University Professorship in Entrepreneurship, which Cherukuri now holds, was established through a generous 2021 endowment by UVA alumni Donna and Richard Tadler, supplemented by matching funds from UVA’s Bicentennial Professorship Fund. This endowed chair reflects the university’s dedication to embedding entrepreneurship deeply within its academic and community mission. By strategically linking entrepreneurship with faculty research and student initiatives, this professorship aims to catalyze innovative ventures that extend UVA’s historical legacy of impactful scholarship.
Cherukuri assumes leadership over UVA Innovates, a comprehensive platform launched university-wide in early 2024, designed to amplify UVA’s innovation and entrepreneurial efforts. UVA Innovates integrates resources and expertise from across schools, departments, and external partnerships, fostering an ecosystem that empowers students, faculty, and staff to translate ideas into socially meaningful technologies and ventures. His role as the first Chief Innovation Officer will involve steering this platform into its next developmental phase with a focus on sustainable impact and broader outreach.
His predecessor, Michael Lenox, who served as special advisor to the provost on entrepreneurship since 2023 and previously held the Tadler Professorship, successfully laid the foundational framework for UVA Innovates. Lenox, a distinguished University Professor known for his groundbreaking research in business and technology strategy—especially in the realms of corporate sustainability and industry self-regulation—will step back from administrative duties to concentrate on his teaching and scholarly pursuits at UVA’s Darden School of Business. This transition underscores UVA’s balanced approach to leadership, ensuring continuity as well as innovation in its strategic directives.
Cherukuri brings an interdisciplinary perspective grounded in robust industry and academic experience, with a particular emphasis on connecting scientific discovery to commercial application. His vision for UVA is to expand cross-school collaborations that bring together engineering, commerce, sciences, and social sciences into a cohesive innovation ecosystem. By facilitating such interdisciplinarity, he aims to empower faculty and students not only to invent but to move those inventions efficiently into marketplaces where they address real-world challenges – locally, nationally, and globally.
Previously, Cherukuri served as the inaugural Vice President for Innovation and Chief Innovation Officer at Rice University starting in 2022. His tenure at Rice was marked by the strategic creation of niche innovation hubs such as the Rice Biotech Launch Pad and RBL LLC, designed to accelerate the commercialization of breakthrough medical technologies. He also spearheaded the Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator, a $12.5 million initiative transforming greenhouse gases into advanced materials, showcasing his adeptness at leading cutting-edge projects at the nexus of science, technology, and sustainability.
In addition, Cherukuri was instrumental in establishing Rice Nexus, an innovation hub situated in Houston’s Ion District, dedicated to scaling AI-driven startups. This initiative positioned Rice and Houston as competitive players on the global innovation stage, exemplifying how academic institutions can partner with urban innovation districts and industry leaders to foster ecosystems that nurture next-generation technologies. These successes demonstrate Cherukuri’s proven capacity to integrate scientific research with entrepreneurial ventures, creating tangible societal impact.
Cherukuri’s academic credentials reflect deep expertise in physics, chemistry, and medical technology entrepreneurship. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Kentucky and later earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Rice University. His postdoctoral experience includes positions at Harvard University in chemistry and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Experimental Therapeutics, equipping him with extensive knowledge of both fundamental science and applied medical research.
Beyond academia, Cherukuri co-founded MAReNIR Technologies LLC as Chief Technical Officer, steering the startup through early-stage development. He also held a senior scientist position at the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, where he contributed to the development of drug products and biomedical devices. This unique blend of entrepreneurial, scientific, and industry experience provides Cherukuri with a comprehensive toolkit to lead innovation at UVA, balancing scientific rigor with pragmatic commercialization strategies.
Under his leadership, UVA aims to harness its intellectual capital to cultivate an innovation ecosystem that extends beyond university walls. By developing sustained partnerships with industries, government entities, and regional stakeholders, Cherukuri plans to anchor UVA as a hub for innovation-driven economic development. This ecosystem-centric model fosters not only invention but also inclusive growth, whereby innovation serves as a catalyst for societal benefit across multiple dimensions, including health, environment, and economic vitality.
At the core of this vision is an emphasis on fostering a culture where faculty, students, alumni, and community partners collaborate dynamically. Cherukuri’s approach emphasizes inclusivity and empowerment, promoting mechanisms through which ideas can be incubated, mentored, funded, and scaled effectively. The UVA innovation enterprise under his guidance aims to rival established national models, while preserving the distinct Jeffersonian ideals of advancing knowledge for the public good.
Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Brie Gertler heralded the appointment, noting Cherukuri’s exceptional experience in promoting entrepreneurial activities and translating academic research into actionable market innovations. She emphasized that UVA’s 200-year tradition of nurturing creative thought and innovation will be considerably strengthened. Cherukuri’s appointment, she believes, will catalyze new collaborations and ventures that extend UVA’s impact into new domains of society and economy.
Cherukuri himself expressed deep honor in joining UVA, reflecting on Thomas Jefferson’s original vision for the university as an incubator of innovation dedicated to public benefit. His commitment to building an ecosystem that transforms ideas into tangible impacts resonates with UVA’s historical mission and signals an exciting chapter where innovation and entrepreneurship significantly shape the university’s trajectory into the 21st century.
Subject of Research: Innovation ecosystem development, entrepreneurship in academia, translational research, university-industry partnerships
Article Title: University of Virginia Appoints Paul Cherukuri as First Chief Innovation Officer to Lead Ambitious Campus-Wide Innovation Initiative
News Publication Date: (Not explicitly provided; inferred as 2024 prior to October 1 start date)
Web References: https://mediasvc.eurekalert.org/Api/v1/Multimedia/3e1b7950-3338-4e91-b102-c2800f768a5d/Rendition/low-res/Content/Public
Image Credits: University of Virginia
Keywords: Economic development, Domestic commerce
