Paul Cherukuri is the Donna and Richard Tadler University Professor of Entrepreneurship and the University of Virginia's inaugural Chief Innovation Officer, with joint faculty appointments as Professor of Practice in the McIntire School of Commerce and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He leads UVA Innovates — the University's pan-institutional platform advancing innovation and entrepreneurship across students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners.
A physicist, chemist, inventor, and entrepreneur, he previously served as the inaugural Vice President for Innovation and Chief Innovation Officer at Rice University. There he founded the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, launched the Woodside–Rice Decarbonization Accelerator, and established Rice Nexus in Houston's Ion District to support AI-driven startups and translational research.
He earned a B.S. in Physics from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Rice University, with visiting scholar appointments at Harvard and MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has co-founded venture-backed companies, served as CTO of MAReNIR Technologies, and worked as a Senior Scientist at Sanofi developing drug products and medical devices.
