# Dr. Mark Naufel

> Dr. Mark Naufel is the founder and former CEO of Axio, where the current company website lists him as Board Director and Founder. He is also president and CEO of the University of Silicon Valley. His career began in student leadership at Arizona State University, where he later founded the Luminosity Lab, an interdisciplinary program giving students responsibility for applied research and development. His work connects student agency, industry collaboration and personalized learning.

- **Role:** President & CEO at University of Silicon Valley; Board Director and Founder at Axio
- **Organizations:** University of Silicon Valley, Axio, Arizona State University (former), The Luminosity Lab (founder; former executive director), Arizona Board of Regents (former student regent), Faraya LLC
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS in Finance, Arizona State University, MS in Business Analytics, Arizona State University, MS in Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, PhD in Human Systems Engineering, Arizona State University
- **Known for:** Founded ASU’s Luminosity Lab in 2016., Led Luminosity as students Sylvia Lopez and Brinlee Kidd won the Red Bull Basement global competition with Jotted., Directed the lab when Marty Vanderploeg endowed the Vanderploeg Luminosity Scholars Program with a $15 million gift in 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2012-2013** — Served as president of ASU Tempe Undergraduate Student Government.
- **2014-2016** — Served as student regent on the Arizona Board of Regents.
- **2016** — Established the Luminosity Lab at Arizona State University.
- **2020** — Completed his PhD in Human Systems Engineering at ASU.
- **2022** — Luminosity joined the Fulton Schools of Engineering; a $15 million donation endowed a student scholarship program.
- **2023** — Founded the education company publicly launched as Primer, subsequently renamed Axio.
- **2025-10** — Became president of the University of Silicon Valley; transitioned from CEO to board involvement at Axio.
- **2026-03** — Announced plans for a new USV campus and the Cogswell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

## Achievements

- Founded ASU’s Luminosity Lab in 2016.
- Led Luminosity as students Sylvia Lopez and Brinlee Kidd won the Red Bull Basement global competition with Jotted.
- Directed the lab when Marty Vanderploeg endowed the Vanderploeg Luminosity Scholars Program with a $15 million gift in 2022.
- Founded Axio, an education platform developed from earlier work on an AI learning companion.
- Appointed president of University of Silicon Valley in October 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Authored USV’s announcement of a new North San Jose campus planned to open April 1, 2026, alongside the Cogswell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
- **2026-03** — USV announced Jon Relvas as vice president of corporate and industry relations, reconnecting a collaborator from Naufel’s ASU work.
- **2025-10** — Became president of USV and held a Reddit AMA about gaming, esports and higher education.

## Links

- Website: https://usv.edu/about/leadership/mark-naufel
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-naufel/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/MarkNauf

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mark-naufel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08