Tam Dao has been appointed Rice University’s first associate vice president of campus safety and research security. His first day in this role will be May 1. Dao currently serves as Rice’s assistant vice president for research security, and his new role will combine that position with the responsibilities previously held by Kathryn Cavender as associate vice president for campus safety.
“I’m honored to step into this new role and build on the incredible work already underway at Rice,” Dao said. “Ensuring the safety of our campus community and the integrity of our research is not just a responsibility — it’s a mission I’m deeply committed to, and I’m excited to help lead Rice into this next chapter with vigilance, collaboration and purpose.”
As part of this transition, the research security team will become part of the campus safety unit within the Operations, Finance and Support division, strengthening alignment between campus operations and research risk management. Dao will continue to work closely with the Office of Research.
“Tam brings a remarkable combination of academic achievement and public service experience to the role,” said Kelly Fox, executive vice president of operations, finance and support. “Tam’s appointment comes at a time when the landscape of campus and research security is evolving rapidly, and his proven track record makes him exceptionally well suited to lead us forward.”
In his position, Dao will provide leadership and oversight of campus safety and research security operations, fostering a proactive and inclusive safety culture that aligns with the university’s strategic vision. He will be responsible for leading Rice’s police department and emergency management, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for students, faculty, staff, visitors and neighbors.
He will continue to lead research security strategy championing compliance, safeguarding intellectual property and promoting a culture of integrity and openness in scholarship. Dao will also serve as the university’s primary liaison with local, state and federal agencies on matters related to public safety, compliance and emergency response.
Prior to joining Rice, he worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he held a variety of roles. In 2020, he was promoted to oversee the FBI’s Counterintelligence Task Force, leading efforts to expose, prevent and investigate research security threats.
Dao is recognized as the FBI’s subject matter expert on research security and legal compliance. He has provided more than 300 classified briefings to senior White House staff, members of Congress, heads of U.S. federal funding agencies and university administrators. He is also a faculty scholar at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Before joining the FBI, Dao was a tenure-track professor at the University of Houston. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate from Florida State University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in advanced psychology and psychiatry at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston.