2015 to 2022
Nasser H. Paydar began his appointment as fifth chancellor IUPUI and executive vice president of Indiana University in August 2015, with his formal installation taking place on November 17. An IU faculty member for more than 30 years, Paydar held various administrative and executive leadership positions at the university.
Under his leadership as chancellor, IUPUI expanded educational opportunities for students, creating 44 new degree programs, and increased need-based financial aid by 600% to $10 million a year. Paydar advanced several key diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, established the LGBTQ+ Center and the Center for Africana Studies and Culture, and oversaw the creation of a DEI track for faculty promotion and tenure, among the first of its kind in the country. He launched the grassroots IUPUI Welcoming Campus Initiative and spearheaded the IUPUI 50th Anniversary celebration in 2018-19. During his tenure, more than $218 million in capital projects were completed, including the construction of North Hall, Innovation Hall, and the James J. Fritts D.D.S. Clinical Care Center in the School of Dentistry.
Paydar first joined IUPUI in 1985 as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the School of Engineering and Technology. From 1989 to 2003, in addition to his teaching and research, he served in a number of administrative positions, including chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, associate dean for graduate programs, associate dean for academic programs, and executive associate dean.
In 2004, Paydar became vice chancellor and dean of IUPUC and was appointed chancellor of IU East in 2007. In 2012, Paydar returned to IUPUI as the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer, leading the campus in a comprehensive and inclusive strategic planning process, which resulted in the development of IUPUI’s strategic plan, Our Commitment to Indiana and Beyond.
Paydar received the IU Bicentennial Medal in August 2019 and the IU President’s Medal for Excellence in 2021, both in recognition of his distinguished service as executive vice president and chancellor of IUPUI, and member of the president's executive cabinet.
He earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University in 1979, 1981, and 1985, respectively.