Dario Solis

Senior Assistant to the President for Regional Partnerships and Latin American Partnerships

Dr. Solis leverages his excellent network in the region to promote research, development, innovation, and education collaboration activities among public and private sectors from both Latin America and the U. S., especially with organizations in the state of Texas. Dr. Solis holds a Bachelor's degree in Electromechanical Engineering from the Technological University of Panama, a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa. His experience bridges the academic and private sectors.

Solis helped to establish and served as Managing Director of the Georgia Tech Panama Logistics Innovation and Research Center, founded to strategically support decisions that help improve Panama's logistics and trade capabilities that enable Panama as the Premier Trade and Logistics Hub of the Americas. He was Director of Research and Professor of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at the Technological University of Panama; Senior Research Scientist and Adjunct Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iowa and Director of the Modeling and Simulation Laboratory at the U. S. Department of Transportation sponsored National Advanced Driving Simulator, and Senior Research Engineer at the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center at the University of Iowa. In the private sector, Dr. Solis launched and served as President of Verde Power Corporation, and was the Director for Vehicle Dynamics, Design & Simulation Technology at Austral Engineering & Software Inc. Also, he held positions as plant engineer in the manufacturing sector in Panama.

Among service posts, he has been appointed as the University President Council Representative at the National Council of Directors of Panama's National Research System, and as a member of sectorial commissions responsible for developing Panama's National Strategic Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation. He has produced dozens of publications in journals and conference proceedings and has participated in many events as an invited speaker. Dr. Solis’ research experience includes a strong component in Modeling and Simulation Science and Technology, Dynamics and Controls, Vehicle Dynamics, Traffic Simulation and Transportation, Renewable Energy Systems, and Logistics and Supply Chain System Analysis. He is also a certified Lean Supply Chain Professional.

In 1989, Dr. Solis was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and, in 2010, he was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers with the inaugural McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising.