University Service Award
Jim Davis

Jim Davis has been with UCLA for more than two decades, previously serving as vice provost and chief academic technology officer. As the campus’ first chief information officer, Davis led the establishment of the Office of Information Technology, which evolved into the Office of Advanced Research Computing. Under his leadership, many campus-wide services and systems were implemented. He helped build out the internet connections for education, spearheaded the creation of UCLA Mobile, expanded high-performance computing for research, enhanced technology support for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, developed and expanded inclusive digital access for students with disabilities, and enacted policies to safeguard information and protect privacy. 

In June 2023, Davis stepped down from his campus leadership roles and returned to his faculty appointment as a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UCLA Samueli, and as a special advisor on smart manufacturing and data science to the vice chancellor of research and creative activities. As a co-founder of the U.S. Smart Manufacturing initiative, Davis has been instrumental in establishing the national Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute based at UCLA. The public-private partnership is funded by the Department of Energy as part of the Manufacturing USA Institute to advance smart manufacturing and impact environmental sustainability.