Shashank Priya is the University of Minnesota’s vice president for research and innovation, overseeing a $1+ billion research enterprise spanning sponsored projects, compliance, technology commercialization, corporate engagement, and 12 interdisciplinary centers. At UMN, he has strengthened research infrastructure and launched initiatives such as the International Institute on Biosensing, the Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation Center, the Sustainable GeoCommunities program, and a partnership with North Carolina A&T, the nation’s largest historically Black university. He also advanced technology commercialization and corporate engagement through programs like Discovery to Impact and Innovation Minnesota, while representing UMN at organizations such as APLU, AAU, and the Big Ten Academic Alliance, and fostering global research partnerships. Previously, he served at Penn State as associate vice president for research, publishing 500+ academic articles and holding 12 patents. His research focuses on energy conversion, particularly multifunctional materials, energy harvesting, and bio-inspired robotics. He holds a BS from Allahabad University, an ME from the Indian Institute of Science, and a PhD from Penn State. (Pronunciation: shuh-SHAHNK PREE-yah.)