FOSTER DISCOVERY. DRIVE INNOVATION. SHAPE THE FUTURE.

Driving Research Excellence

As a direct report to the President, the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) serves as Purdue’s Senior Research Officer. The EVPR is responsible for increasing the scale and impact of Purdue’s research enterprise through stewardship and expansion of the university’s annual expenditures and active research portfolio, developing new opportunities for sponsored research growth through innovative programs, and by strengthening the University’s research infrastructure.

The EVPR leads a robust team within the Office of Research, including sponsored program services and all operational and regulatory functions of the Purdue University research enterprise. Additionally, the EVPR has oversight of a broad research enterprise that includes the expanding Institutes and Centers at Discovery Park District, an interdisciplinary research hub with more than 12 research organizations that bring together researchers across disciplines to advance large-scale research, and the Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI). PARI is an LLC that was developed to enhance Purdue’s capabilities for translational and classified work that responds quickly to industry and government needs in national security, infrastructure, technology innovation and global development.

The EVPR also provides leadership for several key institutes and initiatives, including the Purdue Institute of Cancer Research, the Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence, and is responsible for enabling the success of faculty-driven research by supporting cross-college research collaborations and ensuring optimal research coordination by working closely with the Office of the Provost, colleges/schools and faculty to recruit and retain outstanding faculty and to support and expand scholarship, research excellence and national and international recognition.

Purdue’s Research Excellence

Purdue University is a world-renowned public research institution committed to excellence at scale. As an R1 university, Purdue is among the top-tier research universities in the United States. It has an overall sponsored program portfolio of $3.1 billion and manages thousands of research projects annually focused on creating innovative solutions that help to improve lives, strengthen national defense, provide a safe and dependable food supply, protect our environment and energy supply, and modernize housing and transportation infrastructure.

Giant leaps at Purdue take place in hundreds of research labs, through than 150 research centers and institutes and within the largest affiliated incubation park in the US. Purdue’s faculty and students enjoy an environment of collaboration – across institutions, boundaries and with industry and national laboratories to advance innovation and economic impact. This forward-thinking and boundary crossing research is evident in key strategic initiatives including Purdue in Indianapolis, Purdue Computes, the Discovery Park District, and the One Health Innovation District.

Record-Breaking Research Funding and Strategic 
Industry Partnerships

In FY23-24, the Purdue University System received a record-breaking $647 million in research funding, a 6% increase over FY23 and a 102% increase since FY 2013. Purdue has a diversified portfolio receiving funding from all major federal agencies including DOD, DOE, NIH, and the NSF, and according to the HERD survey is ranked 15th in funding for institutions without a medical school. Purdue also has strong industry alliances with Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Co., and Elanco Animal Health, among others.

Purdue was designated the preeminent site for digital twins for microelectronics in partnerships with SRC. In addition, Purdue is the only institution that was a major part of 3 Tech hubs, Silicon Crossroads, MachH2 and Heartland Bioworks.

Purdue has been named among the top 10 most innovative school in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for seven years and running, among the top eight public universities in the U.S. (2025) QS World university ranking and is the number one most recognized public university in the U.S., according to American Caldwell (2024). Many of Purdue’s undergraduate and graduate programs are nationally recognized in the top of their respective categories.