In his dual roles as senior vice provost and vice president of the Innovation Campus in Burlington, Massachusetts, David Luzzi leads the university’s use-inspired research enterprise and its expansion to every Northeastern campus.

He has helped spearhead the development of a distinctive approach to amplifying Northeastern’s research impact, building deep university-industry research partnerships to address global challenges in health, security, and sustainability.

Luzzi initiated this approach at the Burlington campus, transforming it into a vibrant innovation ecosystem that has contributed significantly to the university’s research growth. Under his leadership, the Burlington campus was selected as home for the Army Research Laboratory, Northeast. ICBM’s research, in areas ranging from cybersecurity and wireless internet of things to nanomanufacturing and materials science, has attracted more than 30 industry partners, including Raytheon, Northrup Grumman, and United Technologies.

He joined Northeastern in 2007 as dean of the College of Engineering. In that position, he launched several new academic programs, including a doctoral program in bioengineering and a master's degree in energy systems, and oversaw a significant expansion in faculty recruitment.

As a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, Luzzi authored more than 120 scientific papers. He is a member of the board of directors of the Advanced Cyber Security Center and is a founding director of the International Cyber Security Center of Excellence. He served as science and technology chair of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, and was awarded the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.

Luzzi earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a doctorate in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, where he was a Palmer Scholar. He is also a graduate of the Institute for Defense Analyses Defense Science Study Group.