Terri Fiez is a people mobilizer — her job as vice chancellor for research and innovation at the University of Colorado Boulder is to lead the research enterprise. "Colorado has 31 federal laboratories, and 17 are based in Boulder,” Fiez said. “We also have one of the most vibrant start-up communities in the world and a strong industry base. It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to leverage these three groups to make this university the best it can be.”

Last year, the university saw a significant increase in overall research funding, hitting a new milestone of over half a billion dollars in research support. There was also a 60 percent increase in industry funding and significant increases in technology transfer by licensing and protecting new technologies. “We are putting a lot of training into place for faculty, grad students, and staff to help them be more successful innovators and entrepreneurs,” Fiez said. Additionally, a new campus-wide initiative provides development for faculty fellows to prepare the school’s next generation of research and education leaders.

Fiez says the skills and experience she gained at Oregon State as both a doctoral student and an academic leader prepared her well for her current position. After earning a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in 1990, Fiez began her academic career at Washington State University. She returned to Oregon State in 1999 and spent 15 years in various posts, including head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the research agenda strategy consultant to the vice president for research, and head of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Fiez is passionate about the value of higher education in problem solving.“When people get aligned behind a vision, goals, and a strategy, the results can have a profound impact both nationally and globally,” Fiez said.

Degrees

Ph.D. Electrical and Computer Engineering, 1990