About the Division of Research and Innovation
Mission
Our mission at the Division of Research and Innovation (DRI) is to amplify and invest in transformative, multidisciplinary research, scholarship and creative activities and fortify San Diego State University as a premier community-engaged and border-connected public research university where excellence and access converge.
Vision
Our vision is to encourage university and community partners to push the limits of imagination and discovery, catalyzing innovative, collaborative, and beneficial solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.
About the Vice President for Research and Innovation
Hala stewards the university’s expansive research enterprise, supporting the development of SDSU’s Mission Valley Innovation District and overseeing SDSU’s research advancement, research support services and technology transfer efforts, the SDSU Research Foundation, as well as the university’s start-up incubator, the ZIP Launchpad. She has led the university's research and innovation enterprise in an era of unprecedented challenges and opportunities; through a period of growth as the university became an R1 research university; and during a time of exploration as SDSU builds its state-of-the-art Innovation District in San Diego.
History and Future
San Diego State University is the most research-active institution of the 23-campus California State University system and is known for making significant contributions in addressing health disparities, advancing bioinformatic techniques, and cultivating inclusive leaders in business and media.
The university received its first federal grant in the 1950s, began its first doctoral program in the 1960s and has continued to chart a course of discovery and scholarship ever since.
The university achieved its goal of becoming an R1, premier public research university in early 2025, exceeding thresholds for research expenditures and research doctorate degrees conferred.
SDSU is the only public institution in California that is recognized as an R1 Institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education, is an Hispanic-Serving Institution, and has athletics programs that compete on the national stage.
Research is integral to SDSU's future. On the mesa and in Mission Valley, SDSU is committed to developing infrastructure and resources that allow research activity to grow while continuing to support excellence in teaching.
Consider supporting SDSU's research endeavors through impact-driven philanthropy.