An incredible morning at the @UArizona Grand Challenges Research Building! It was a privilege welcoming our newest @AzRegents, Dr. @michelehalyard and Steve Peru, to campus. We had a great roundtable discussing @uazresearch initiatives. Their expertise will be invaluable to Arizona's public universities. Welcome to the team!

Deeply impressed by the silicon photonics research at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan. Through our new SPARK initiative, @uarizona is partnering with NSYSU and industry giants to merge world-class optics with cutting-edge semiconductor tech for the post-Moore era of AI. Thank you for the hospitality, @NSYSU_OIA !

Incredible semiconductor momentum! I just returned from Taiwan with a @UArizona delegation focused on advancing critical partnerships in AI, microelectronics, quantum and other tech. Honored to meet with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai to progress our historic MOU. Together, we’re building a trans-Pacific bridge for global innovation. Grateful for the partnership of @cityoftucson, @azcommerce, and Pima County Economic Development!

Honored to see one of Taiwan's largest and most widely read newspapers cover @uarizona's visit to Kaohsiung and meeting with Mayor Chen . Thanks, @LibertyTimes1! Stay tuned – I'll be sharing more about our productive trip with @azcommerce, @PimaCounty, @cityoftucson in the coming days. The Arizona-Taiwan connection runs deep. 🤝 ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breaki…

Big news for Arizona's #semiconductor future from @azcommerce and @NSF. NNME Southwest – one of the nation's first four official @semifoundation Regional Nodes – brings together 47 partners across five states to build the talent pipelines our chip ecosystem urgently needs. @uarizona is proud to be an integral part of this vital workforce development effort. azcommerce.com/news-events/n…

Join me in congratulating @Dan_Theodorescu on receiving the prestigious Spence Medal for lifetime contributions to cancer research. As director of the @UACancerCenter, Dan brings world-class dedication to our campus every day, driving discoveries that bring hope and better health outcomes to families across Arizona and beyond. Congratulations, Dan, on this well-deserved honor. tinyurl.com/85mfyps7

This week, as we celebrate Commencement and the thousands of students earning degrees, we also celebrate the "graduation" of our 2025-2026 Research Leadership Institute cohort. These faculty members have looked beyond their individual labs and studios to build a foundation in emotional intelligence, cross-disciplinary networking and strategic partnership – the essential tools required to lead within a billion-dollar research enterprise like @uarizona. To our graduating students and our new research leaders: your accomplishments matter. You are ready to lead in a world that depends on your knowledge and your vision. Congratulations to the Class of 2026 and to our RLI graduates. I look forward to seeing what you do next!

One year ago, we launched the Big Idea Challenge to turn bold faculty proposals into tangible solutions for the world’s most pressing problems. Friday, at our Year One Research Showcase, I saw that vision come to life. In addition to judging the main presentations, it was a privilege to join @uarizona President @SVGarimella to present the student poster awards. Seeing our students articulate their work with such passion is a powerful testament to the future we are building together.

Incredible week in Germany! Visited Fraunhofer's leadership and found strategic overlap with our research initiatives. Met with Focused Energy, too — €200M Series A, pilot plant by 2035. Fusion isn't a distant dream — it's an engineering challenge with a deadline. Proud to build partnerships for @uarizona's role in this story.

Arizona is in an ascendant position in the $1T global space economy. At the Arizona Space Congress, we discussed three priorities for the state and @uarizona as we lead the way: Leveraging academic-industry partnerships to move from lab to fab faster; Making Arizona a plug-and-play federal partner; Training a mission-ready workforce. Thanks @Space_Rising for hosting this vital conversation!

.@UArizonaLPL, with NASA GSFC and Silicon Audio, redesigned seismometers to measure lunar seismic activity, from shallow moonquakes to deep ground vibrations. LEMS will collect data at the moon's South Pole, helping scientists understand the lunar interior and sustain future human presence. More: tinyurl.com/ytfknf5d

Proud to celebrate Marvin Slepian, Valerie Trouet, and Vicente Talanquer on their election as @AAAS Fellows. At the @UArizona, we measure impact by the problems we solve. From biomedicine and climate science to chemistry education, these visionary researchers are building a more resilient future. Read more: news.arizona.edu/news/three-…

Earlier this month during Arizona Tech Week, I spoke about transitioning fusion energy from the lab to the grid. For decades, #fusion energy was a distant dream. Today, it is an engineering mandate, and @uarizona is leading the way. An excellent panel discussion highlighted: • Why recent breakthroughs changed the industry's trajectory. • How sustainable energy can to address the needs of 750 million people currently without power. • Southern Arizona's suitability as a hub for high-tech investment. Watch the session online: youtu.be/2mSEPFSH8Uo?si=9OwW…

Wrapped up our Strategic Research Advisory Council meeting in D.C. with focused sessions on two transformative frontiers: Artificial Intelligence and Fusion Energy. At @uarizona, we are deploying AI to solve high-stakes challenges in national security and health, while advancing fusion toward an engineering reality for clean, limitless energy. I am grateful to our council and deans for their strategic foresight. We continue to move with precision, translating world-class research into tangible societal impact. The work to secure our future continues.

Great to be in D.C. today with our Strategic Research Advisory Council. Morning discussions included a vital pillar of Arizona’s heritage and our global energy future: sustainable mining and critical minerals. From the Arizona Underground initiative to MineWorx, @uarizona is leading the way in subsurface solutions and mining innovation. We also heard from @UAZScienceDean Carmie Garzione, @azengineering dean David Hahn and @UAZOpticalSci dean Brian Anderson on how they collaborate and how we move from the lab to the real world with purpose. Research is the engine; societal impact is the goal. Now, on to the afternoon sessions: AI and fusion.

At our Strategic Research Advisory Council in D.C., we are refining @uazresearch approach to global challenges through the convergence of science and policy. A morning highlight: the Kyl Institute for National Security session. Our roundtable explored the critical intersection of space science and national defense – from space domain awareness to high-energy lasers. We are building a robust, agile ecosystem to translate world-class research into societal impact.

Great turnout of 100 leaders at the Arizona Inn for our first Industry Impact event. Southern Arizona is a premier hub for defense and space innovation—a field foundational to our regional prosperity. Thank you to our panelists for the expert insights: @jamesncantrell (@PhantomSpaceC) Dan Geraci (CITech) @ErikaHamden (@uarizona Space Institute) Mark Spencer (@UAZOpticalSci ) Grateful to Joe Snell, Laura Shaw and the Chamber of Southern Arizona for the partnership, and Gen. @RandsRobin for the strategic opening remarks. See you at the next one!

I had the pleasure of hosting the inaugural Convergence Awards: Excellence in Research and Creative Activity earlier this week to celebrate our amazing @UArizona researchers and partners. It was a magical evening in Tucson! Congratulations to all the winners!