Dr. Sukumaran Nair is an SMU Distinguished Professor and the founding director of the AT&T Center for Virtualization at SMU. Along with these roles, he has a history of involvement across departments and programs. Namely, he is the founder of the cyber security program at SMU and chair of the computer science and engineering department from 2008-2016.

   Dr. Nair's research interests include software-centric telecommunication networks, software-defined networks, virtualization technologies, trustworthy AI, and cyber security. He has published extensively in the area of high assurance computing and networking. His research has been supported through funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Security Agency (NSA), National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), Office of Naval Research (ONR), and various industry leaders including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, CAE, IBM, AT&T, and Google. Some of his recent awards include the Dallas 500 award and CIO/CTO award for Outstanding Tech Advocate from the D CEO magazine, SMU Ford Research Fellowship, IBM faculty award, and the Distinguished University Citizen award.

   He received his B.S. from the University of Kerala, India in 1984, his M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1988 and 1990, respectively.

Scott Douglas

Associate Vice Provost for Research

✉ sdouglas@smu.edu | ✆ 214-768-4595

Key Functions

• Faculty guidance
• SMU research initiative & program oversight
• Promote research activity
• Facilitate grant writing
• Assist technology transfer & commercialization

James Grimsley

Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub Regional Innovation Officer

✉ grimsleyj@smu.edu

Kristina Olofsson

Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost for Research and Chief Innovation Officer

✉ kolofsson@smu.edu | ✆ 214-768-4437

Key Functions

• Calendar and communication management
• Expense Management
• Travel and Logistics
• Project Coordination
• Event Planning
• Support the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub