Jim Davis is Vice Provost of IT & Chief Academic Technology Officer – a new executive leadership role with broader responsibilities focused on UCLA’s academic research and education mission while building on his past position as Associate Vice Chancellor & CIO. Jim has responsibilities for the Institute for Digital Research and Education (IDRE), the Institute for Informatics (I2), UCLA’s institutional educational technology initiatives as well as broad accountability for university-wide IT planning, strategic investment and deployment oversight for academic and administrative operations and services. Included in his portfolio are UCLA’s digital presence, cyberinfrastructure, and high performance computing, informatics, and networking for research and education. Jim is currently co-leading a national initiative on Smart Manufacturing and U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.

Jim is also a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. Jim’s research is in the area of data analysis, decision support, and intelligent systems. With over 25 years experience in technology-based engineering research and application, Jim has been involved with research, development, and deployment of information technology solutions in a variety of industrial applications. Jim began his academic career following several years of industrial experience at Amoco Chemicals Corporation.