Mark Gruninger appointed senior director of Industrial Research and Consortia initiative
The Purdue University College of Engineering is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Gruninger as senior director of the Industrial Research and Consortia initiative. Gruninger, who had been serving as managing director, will now helm the drive to expand industry-focused research consortia around materials processing and advanced materials manufacturing.
From the Center for Surface Engineering and Enhancement to the new Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing, Gruninger will be connecting with industrial partners across the state and around the world to make and strengthen relationships that ensure Purdue Materials Engineering is focused on industrially relevant research that moves the world forward.
"I'm genuinely humbled and deeply appreciative of this opportunity," Gruninger said. "Purdue has always emphasized academic research in collaboration with industry; I observed this when I was employed by Praxair, as well as when I was educated at Purdue. In my new position, I will strive to continue to build a 'block' of world-class companies that are both learning from and guiding research that's industrially relevant, and that leads to a variety of graduate and post-graduate positions and projects for our students."
Gruninger is ably qualified to lead this pursuit through his extensive expertise in both engineering and business. He was awarded his PhD in ceramic science engineering and executive MBA in management. He spent 25 years at Praxair Surface Technologies, a leader in materials innovation in Indiana for more than 100 years and part of Praxair Inc., a Fortune 500 company, where he rose from positions as project engineer, director of technology and general manager to president. He has also served in multiple roles as an advisor or consultant to U.S. and European companies.
As new senior director, Gruninger will be leveraging his industrial background to attract a number of types of companies, many of whom already have ongoing relationships with Purdue and MSE in specific materials engineering areas. "This initiative was, and remains, to attract and retain materials engineering research projects that benefit a cross-section of sponsoring companies," he said.
One focus as the new senior director will be to deepen industrial engagement at Purdue's Manufacturing and Materials Research Laboratories (MMRL). The goal of the MMRL is to accelerate the future of manufacturing through innovation, collaboration and education.
"We'll be evaluating how to broaden engagement for most, if not all, of the manufacturing technologies currently available at MMRL," Gruninger said. "One specific thing we'll be attempting to gain traction with, beginning this semester, will be to leverage the remarkable capabilities in MMRL in the field of hybrid, reactive metal additive manufacturing."
The aim is to create a new center along the lines of existing consortia centers: the Center for Surface Engineering and Enhancement, the Purdue Heat Treatment Consortium and the Purdue Center for Metal Casting. Each of these centers focuses on member-driven, pre-competitive projects, company-specific proprietary projects, and graduate- and undergraduate-level projects. They involve extensive member/faculty/student networking and provide project intellectual property licensing priority.
The Industrial Research and Consortia initiative aligns closely with a Purdue-wide focus on learning from and serving industry. For example, the Office of Industry Partnerships builds strategic collaborations between Purdue and industry partners to develop talent, drive innovation and support economic growth. It serves as a centralized resource offering internal support to all university units and acts as a concierge for external industry partners.
This connects external organizations with the full breadth and depth of resources at Purdue to explore opportunities for research and joint programs; commercialization, industry partnerships and licensing; co-location; recruitment; executive and online education; and sponsorships and philanthropy. It's an integrated, holistic approach that prioritizes strategic partnerships and provides a streamlined experience for industry/academic collaboration.
"Purdue has consistently embraced industry from both 'around the corner' and 'around the world,' through its industrial and governmental partnerships with the state of Indiana and global technology leaders. Essentially, if not completely, all of Purdue is involved with industrially relevant research," Gruninger said.
"As the state's 'flagship' STEM research and education university, with increasing global links, I am honored to represent Purdue in this opportunity to advance the collaborations between academic research and industry."