Our Senior Vice President
![Dr, Can Saygin Portrait](../../../_files/images/saygin/saygin-v2.jpg)
Can (John) Saygin, PhD
Senior Vice President for Research, Dean of the Graduate College
Biography
Can Saygin, PhD. is the Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College. He is also a Professor of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering at the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences. Prior to his current administrative position, he served as a Senior Associate Vice President for Research (4/1/2020-7/30/2022), Senior Vice Provost for University Planning (6/1/2019-4/1/2020), Senior Vice Provost for Institutional Intelligence and Strategic Initiatives (3/1/2018-7/1/2019); Interim Dean of the Graduate School (06/2018-03/2019); Advisor to President on Strategic Initiatives (11/15/2017-3/1/2018); Associate Vice President for Sponsored Project Administration in the Office of Research (2013-2018) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).
He received his BS ('89), MS ('92), and PhD ('97) degrees in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis on advanced manufacturing and automation from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara in Turkey. In his academic career, he worked at the University of Toledo (1997-1999), the Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla) (1999-2006), and The University of Texas at San Antonio (2006-2022) before joining UTRGV in August 2022.
He is the recipient of the UTSA College of Engineering 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award, the UTSA President’s 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence, and The University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award in 2012.
As a faculty member, he has directed several projects funded by the Air Force Research Lab, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, the Boeing Company, the Ford Motor Company, UT Health San Antonio, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and various manufacturing industries. He has also led regional advanced manufacturing efforts under the designation of Alamo Manufacturing Partnership.