Victor Padilla-Taylor joined Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology as the inaugural Noblitt Entrepreneurship Director and Professor of Practice in Engineering Management. His work focuses on integrating entrepreneurial thinking and technical management into engineering education, preparing students to lead cross-disciplinary teams and launch high-impact technical ventures. Padilla-Taylor brings over two decades of global industry, executive, and academic center leadership to Rose-Hulman, having previously led student venture incubation and mentor networks at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale University, managed public-private global partnerships at the World Economic Forum, and directed corporate development across Latin America.
Academic Degrees
- Master of Advanced Management (MAM), Yale University
- Executive Master in Global Leadership, World Economic Forum (in partnership with Columbia University, Wharton, London Business School, CEIBS, INSEAD, and THNK School of Creative Leadership)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
- B.S. in Chemical Engineering & Industrial Engineering, Universidad Rafael Landívar.
Teaching Interests
- Technical Entrepreneurship & Venture Creation
- Technology Commercialization & Business Modeling
- Engineering Management & Agile Leadership. Social Entrepreneurship
- The KEEN Entrepreneurial Mindset (3Cs) & Student Mentorship
Research Interests
- Engineering entrepreneurship pedagogy and experiential venture frameworks
- Innovation ecosystems and founder developmental pathways
- Integration of the KEEN Entrepreneurial Mindset into technical curricula
- Early-stage technology commercialization
- Operational scaling, cross-sector partnerships, and global supply networks
Publications & Presentation Highlights
- Yale SOM Raw Case Study: Padilla-Taylor, V., Elias, J., & Canales, R. (2020)
- "La Victoria Lab" (Yale School of Management Case Study 20-027)
- Multimedia case examining corporate innovation lab design, design-thinking methodologies, and the tensions between exploratory venture design and institutional execution
- Policy & Geopolitics Paper (ETH Zurich / ISPSW): Lehmacher, W., & Padilla-Taylor, V. (2015)
- "The New Silk Road – Idea and Concept"
- ISPSW Strategy Series No. 390 / International Relations and Security Network [ISN], Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich
- World Economic Forum White Paper: World Economic Forum & Deloitte (2018)
- Designing a Seamless Integrated Mobility System, or SIMSystem
- A Manifesto for Transforming Passenger and Goods Mobility
- Co-author / Project Lead. Lehmacher, W., & Padilla-Taylor, V. (2015)
- "What Can the New Silk Road Do for Global Trade?" World Economic Forum Agenda / Financial Times. Padilla-Taylor, V. (2019)
- "When Cutting-Edge Skills Become Mainstream, There is a Way to Upgrade." Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY)
- Padilla-Taylor, V. (2017). "How the MAM Program Prepared Me to Lead in a Humanitarian Crisis." Yale SOM / Global Network Perspectives
- Working Framework in Engineering Education: Padilla-Taylor, V. "The ECAS Framework (Explore, Connect, Activate, Scale): Mapping Founder Trajectories and Innovation Touchpoints in Technical Higher Education." Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Awards & Honors
- Faculty Advisor, Rose Innovative Student Entrepreneurship Club (RISE), Rose-Hulman
- Member, Intellectual Property Committee, Rose-Hulman
- The Linda K. Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service, Office of the President, Yale University
- Yale Alumni Association Leadership Award
- Executive Advisory Board Member, Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC)
- Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), Trained Executive & Leadership Coach.