Few people are as qualified as Rubin to make assessments on the status of research and innovation. He spent his career as a cognitive scientist, technologist, and administrator focused on science policy and ethics. In addition to his teaching and research career at UConn and Yale, he has served four different U.S. presidents in various capacities.<\/p>\n Early in the 21st<\/sup> century, Rubin directed the NSF Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences. He would later be appointed principal assistant director to the President\u2019s Office of Science and Technology Policy. His work spans the administrations of Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, influencing preparation and policy on issues including Ebola prevention and crisis response.<\/p>\n During the Obama Administration, Rubin led neuroscience efforts that included the BRAIN Initiative, a collaboration of researchers in the public and private sectors seeking to apply technology to understand the brain\u2019s function. Those initiatives paralleled his research in technological and theoretical developments related to understanding speech and language disorders.<\/p>\n Beyond the White House, Rubin has served as chair or board member of numerous organizations dedicated to the advancement of science. He is a chair of Haskins Laboratories in New Haven (where he also conducted his postdoctoral research), is an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Medicine, and a research affiliate at Yale. He is also the past president of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Recently, he became president of Rothschild-Wilder, a nonprofit, private foundation dedicated to supporting social justice initiatives, science, arts and humanities, and preserving cultural artifacts.<\/p>\n While his professional and academic bona fides establish his reputation, Rubin says that one of his main roles has been a facilitator of intelligent and talented people. Somewhat serendipitously, he has found himself \u201cin the right place at the right time\u201d on several occasions, leaning into his skills to get the best out of collaborations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about experiences and contacts,\u201d says Rubin. \u201cI have been fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants.\u201d<\/p>\n Research at UConn<\/strong><\/p>\n Rubin enjoys his role on the UConn Board of Trustees, particularly with the REI committee. He has forged good relationships with UConn research leadership, including the Office for the Vice President of Research and the Provost\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Rubin\u2019s wisdom, expertise, and experience make him an excellent mentor and friend to UConn research and all that we aspire to be as an enterprise,\u201d says Pamir Alpay, Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. \u201cHe has helped shape policy across several levels, from his work with the federal government to his collaborations with prestigious societies and organizations. His wealth of knowledge is priceless to UConn.\u201d<\/p>\n Rubin believes that the University must consider many factors that lead to success, from the student life experience to the quality of laboratory facilities. Echoing his role as a facilitator, he encourages communicating across UConn to understand needs, which in turn will lead to greater success in the classroom and in research.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat impresses me has been the continual increase in the quality of students, faculty, and administration through the years,\u201d says Rubin. \u201cThe change in the campus is remarkable. Take the new Science 1 building, for example. You\u2019re not going to be able to teach well and learn well if you don\u2019t have good facilities. The support from the State, as well as the UConn Foundation, has been exceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n UConn has prioritized advanced research in areas such as artificial intelligence, security, health across the lifespan, global literacy, and quantum technology. The latter is exemplified by the QuantumCT initiative, which Yale and UConn co-lead, designed to transform Connecticut into the nation\u2019s accelerator for quantum technology and applications.<\/p>\n Rubin says he is impressed with UConn\u2019s research focuses, as well as the University\u2019s continued support of the humanities. The success extends beyond Storrs and UConn Health in Farmington to breakthroughs occurring at regional campuses, such in fintech in Stamford, marine science at Avery Point, and neurodiversity at Waterbury.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a strong supporter of interdisciplinary research,\u201d Rubin says. \u201cInnovation can be strengthened greatly by diversity and inclusion, getting different points of view.\u201d<\/p>\n The Future of Research<\/strong><\/p>\n The present research climate is a challenge for UConn, as well as other universities and institutes across the country. Rubin says it is common for priorities to change with the transition of presidential administrations, and he values the breadth of opinions. Yet he worries about the impact of indirect cost caps at agencies like the NSF and NIH, as well as terminations of previously awarded grants.<\/p>\n Indirect costs are reimbursements for expenses that propel research and innovation. Though there are challenges in federal courts, the NIH and NSF are two of several agencies seeking to cap indirect cost funding at 15%, which would pose major financial hardships in the ability of universities to conduct federal research.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re living in interesting times right now,\u201d says Rubin. \u00a0\u201cThere have been times in modern history that have been challenging. There\u2019s great misunderstanding on the part of the public and great misuse by politicians on indirect costs. They impact ability to purchase or rent equipment, facilities, and pay the salaries for associated researchers, analysts, and support personnel.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the challenges, Rubin is confident that UConn can adapt and succeed. He is impressed with President Radenka Maric and University leadership, who have prioritized students and research.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a remarkable president in Dr. Maric who understands the numerous constraints facing research,\u201d Rubin says. \u201cWe have the great ability to bring together research excellence and education in areas that are really important.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Trustee Philip Rubin \u201973 \u201975 sees UConn and the state as well-positioned to continue groundbreaking research, even in challenging landscape<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":231345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,156,2076,2235,2234],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2381],"class_list":["post-231344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-profile","category-research","category-today-homepage","category-university-life"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-17 01:56:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231344"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":231557,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231344\/revisions\/231557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/231345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231344"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=231344"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=231344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Philip](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/74rubin-200x300.jpg\")