Dr. Eric Y. Tao, Ph.D.
Professor of Innovation & Technology, California State University Monterey Bay Founding Director, Institute for Innovation and Economic Development
Strategic Advisory Council — Injury-Free Arts Academy Foundation
Dr. Eric Y. Tao, Ph.D. is a senior academic leader, innovation strategist, and globally engaged educator whose career spans more than two decades at the intersection of technology, education systems, and economic development. He serves as a Full Professor in the School of Computing and Design at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), where his work focuses on innovation systems, digital transformation, and scalable learning and organizational design.
Dr. Tao founded the School of Computing and Design at CSUMB, guiding it from its inception into a multidisciplinary academic unit serving more than 1,000 students and dozens of faculty across computer science, information technology, media design, and instructional innovation. His leadership has helped shape one of the California State University system’s most forward-looking models for technology-driven education.
In 2009, he established the Institute for Innovation and Economic Development (iiED), a university-based innovation hub supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Through iiED, Dr. Tao has led initiatives that connect academic research, entrepreneurship, public policy, and regional and international economic development, translating ideas into real-world impact.
Dr. Tao holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, a Master’s degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from National Sun Yat-Sen University. He has published extensively in areas including educational technology, innovation processes, and digital systems, and is a frequent speaker at international conferences on technology, globalization, and educational transformation.
As a member of the Strategic Advisory Council of the Injury-Free Arts Academy Foundation, Dr. Tao contributes system-level insight into innovation architecture, education design, and global scaling, supporting the Foundation’s mission to build sustainable, high-impact models for artistic development in the modern world.
