NORMAN, OKLA. – University of Oklahoma Vice President for Research and Partnerships Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, Ph.D., has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee through May 2027.
As a committee member, Díaz de la Rubia will help provide advice and recommendations to the DOE on scientific, technical and programmatic issues relating to the national fusion energy sciences program, with specific emphasis in energy security and computer simulations of physical properties and performance of materials.
“I’m honored to be selected by the Department of Energy to serve on this important Federal Advisory Committee,” he said. “I look forward to working with the outstanding members of the FESAC to assist the Department in developing the strategies and policies that will accelerate the deployment of commercial fusion energy in the United States and around the world. The planet needs new clean, baseload, and safe energy technologies such as fusion to fuel its sustainable growth.”
Diáz de la Rubia currently leads OU’s efforts to enhance the scale and scope of the university’s research enterprise, and to develop a new strategic framework for research particularly in the areas of national security, energy and sustainability, and the life sciences. Prior to OU, he was the Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Purdue University, was the innovation leader and a director in the energy and resources industry practice at Deloitte Consulting, LLP, and was the Deputy Director for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Zhenghong Tang, Ph.D., has been named chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability in the University of Oklahoma’s College of Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences. A leader in the field of planning, Tang will oversee the department and its mission of creating a community of interdisciplinary scholars and experts who aim to better understand the Earth’s human-natural systems.
From a world-staged opera premiere to Shakespeare’s final solo play, the University of Oklahoma’s 2026-27 University Theatre season will offer audiences nine productions spanning musical theater, opera, dance and drama.
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