Mark Naufel
American university president (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Naufel (born November 26, 1991) is an American university president and entrepreneur. He has been President of the University of Silicon Valley since October 2025.[1][2]
Mark Naufel | |
|---|---|
| |
| President of the University of Silicon Valley | |
| Assumed office October 2025 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 26, 1991 Tempe, Arizona, U.S. |
| Education | Arizona State University (BS, MS, PhD) |
| Alma mater | Arizona State University |
Education
Naufel received his undergraduate and graduate education at Arizona State University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance, two master's degrees in Business Analytics and Systems Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Human Systems Engineering in 2020.[3][4]
Career
Arizona State University
As an undergraduate, Naufel served as Student Body President at Arizona State University's Tempe campus.[5] In 2014, he was appointed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to serve as Student Regent on the Arizona Board of Regents, a position he held until 2016.[5][6]
Following his graduate work, Naufel joined Arizona State University's faculty as a Professor of Practice.[7] He established the Luminosity Lab, a research program involving students from multiple academic disciplines.[8]
In 2020, a student team from the Luminosity Lab won the XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge.[9]
Axio
Naufel founded an educational technology company called Primer, which was later renamed Axio.[10] The company develops learning management software.[11]
University of Silicon Valley
In October 2025, Naufel was appointed President of the University of Silicon Valley.[12][13]
Publications
Naufel has published research on educational innovation models. His work includes:
- Naufel, M. (2020). "The Luminosity Lab—An Interdisciplinary Model of Discovery and Innovation for the 21st Century." Technology and Innovation, 21(2), 115-121.[14]