Dear OSU Community Members,
It is my pleasure to share that Dr. Ruben Rathnasingham will begin his appointment as Oregon State University’s Executive Director of the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex on Monday, May 18.
Dr. Rathnasingham brings more than 25 years of experience, translating research into impact across aerospace, energy, medical devices, life science and health technology. He has served as Assistant Dean for Health Product Innovation at the University of Texas – Austin since 2015, where he has driven a 4X increase in patents and 6X surge in startups while attracting investors, entrepreneurs, and corporate partners who generated thousands of jobs. The pipeline of programs he created and led became UT-Austin's flagship innovation ecosystem.
Previously, at the University of California – San Francisco, Dr. Rathnasingham’s programs generated 10X increases in follow-on investment, strengthening the Bay Area ecosystem. He bridges non-obvious disciplines across sectors: repurposing energy technologies for health, applying biomimicry to new materials, connecting drone logistics with clinics for aging-in-place solutions, and linking local farmers to large employers for nutritious employee food programs.
As a serial entrepreneur, Dr. Rathnasingham co-founded three venture-backed companies from university-based technologies, raising significant public and private funding, with successful outcomes.
Dr. Rathnasingham’s expertise and passion will serve OSU and the Huang Complex through the creation of innovation ecosystems that accelerate transdisciplinary research, attract investment and industry partners, establish sustainable revenue models, and integrate arts and technology through human-centered design. His leadership helps position OSU as a national model for research-driven economic development, creating jobs and regional prosperity.
I offer my warmest and most sincere thanks to Dr. Belinda Batten for serving as Acting Executive Director of the Huang Complex and chairing the search advisory committee. Please join me in offering appreciation to Dr. Batten and welcoming Dr. Rathnasingham to the Oregon State University community.
Sincerely,
Roy Haggerty
Provost and Executive Vice President