Dr. Vinod Veedu is the Executive Director of the Rice University National Security Research Accelerator (RUNSRA). In this position, he provides strategic leadership that focuses on all aspects of national security research and development, including defense, energy, international cooperation, and science and technology policy. He works closely with the world-class faculty and staff at Rice, as well as with scientists and engineers in government laboratories, universities, and in industry.
RUNSRA was created in 2019 when the Army Futures Command chose Rice to partner with the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to develop advanced materials and next-generation networks. Together, Rice and the Army established a multi-year, multi-million-dollar cooperative agreement to advance fundamental science research with applications in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It is anticipated that both defense and civilian applications will benefit from the innovations that result from this partnership.
Dr. Veedu is an innovator and entrepreneur with a unique combination of technology, engineering, marketing and business development expertise. Before coming to Rice, he spent close to two decades in the industry involved in creating and transitioning disruptive platform technologies from fundamental science to the global market. Dr. Veedu began his industry career at Oceanit as a senior nanotechnology engineer before serving as Director of Strategic Initiatives for 12 years.
Dr. Veedu holds more than 25 approved or pending patents and a Guinness World Record for the world’s smallest nanotube brush. He has a passion for science communication and also hosted “Weird Science with Dr. V,” a live, televised segment for children. Dr. Veedu was named an Invention Ambassador by the AAAS-Lemelson Foundation, with a goal of influencing and informing public policy while highlighting the importance of creating and inspiring talent.
Dr. Veedu earned his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Florida Atlantic University and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.