Profile: Dr. Suzanne Rivera
Name: Dr. Suzanne Rivera
Current Job: Vice President for Research & Technology Management, Case Western Reserve University
Current City: Cleveland Heights
Hometown: Queens, NY
Q: What is it that you do at CWRU?
As Vice President, I promote, assist, oversee and secure funding for CWRU’s research and scholarship—regardless of discipline. That means I help to advance research projects coming out of all our departments and programs, including interdisciplinary projects that involve scholars from across the institution.
I also represent the university’s research enterprise to external entities, such as federal agencies, foundations, individual donors, and corporate partners. And, as a member of the faculty, I conduct my own research on science policy and research ethics.
Q: What’s a problem that you are working to solve?
CWRU faculty are hard at work trying to solve many of the world’s thorniest problems, and to benefit society through knowledge creation in the sciences, humanities, arts, law, business, and health professions.
We do basic “discovery” research, applied research, commercial translation, and creative production. Digital innovation is a particular focus right now as we have unique strengths in AR/VR, IoT, AI, human-machine fusion, and data science.
Q: What’s a lesson you’ve learned that has helped shaped your work?
That good communication is essential for successful teamwork. I firmly believe there are few important problems left that can be solved by one person acting alone. Working in teams—with people who have different life experiences and different technical or disciplinary training—is the best way to arrive at meaningful and promising solutions.
Q: What’s a trend in technology or innovation that you believe doesn’t get enough attention?
I don’t think technology fields have embraced fully the power of deliberate inclusion and the importance of this hasn’t received enough attention. We all can do more to assure that a variety of voices are contributing to innovation. That means assembling diverse teams and sharing responsibility in equitable ways. In doing so, we will do better work and the results will be more useful to the broadest array of beneficiaries.
Q: What’s a recent book, podcast or news story that you found interesting?
I recently finished Joseph Aoun’s book, Robot-Proof. It talks about the role of higher education and how we should be adapting to prepare students for the future.
Although focused on the impacts of technology innovation in the workforce, Aoun argues persuasively about the need to give all students a liberal arts foundation so they can think critically, work well in teams, and communicate elegantly—no matter what fields they eventually go into.
Q: What's your favorite place in Ohio?
I love being on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. It’s a beautiful campus in the heart of University Circle and it’s filled with the most interesting people from all around the world.
Q: What makes Ohio special to you?
Ohio is a great place to live, work and play. I think folks living on the coasts may underestimate all the wonderful attributes of Ohio and other Midwestern states that offer world-class amenities at a cost of living that allows working people to thrive.