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Dr. Diane L. Souvaine is a Professor of Computer Science and Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at Tufts University. She served as Vice Provost for Research from 2012-2016 and then as Senior Advisor to the Provost at Tufts University from 2016-2018, drawing on institutional knowledge and experience to initiate, develop, and/or refine strategic projects that enhanced the mission and goals of Tufts. She previously served as Chair of the Department of Computer Science from 2002-2009.

Prior to Tufts, Dr. Souvaine was a member of the Rutgers University faculty for 12 years. During her tenure at Rutgers, she served in the Directorate of NSF’s Science and Technology Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS), a groundbreaking academic/industry collaboration of Princeton, Rutgers, Bell Labs and Bellcore. DIMACS is tasked with both the theoretical development of mathematics and computer science and their practical applications.

Dr. Souvaine received her Ph.D. in computer science from Princeton University from which she also received her M.S.E. in electrical engineering and computer science and M.A. in computer science. She earned an M.A.L.S. in mathematical sciences from Dartmouth College and graduated with distinction from Harvard University, earning an A.B.c.l. in English and American language and literature, with a second concentration in mathematics.

Her research contributions range from solving challenging problems in computational geometry to practical application across disciplines. In addition to her scientific and policy contributions, Dr. Souvaine is dedicated to increasing diversity and advancing women and underrepresented groups in mathematics, science, and engineering and works to enhance pre-college education in mathematics and computational thinking.

In 2008, President Bush appointed Dr. Souvaine to the National Science Board, a 24-member body that governs the National Science Foundation and advises the United States government about science policy. In 2014, President Obama reappointed her to the Board. She was elected Vice Chair on May 6, 2016 and Chair on May 3, 2018. In 2011 and in 2016, respectively, she was elected Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Computer History Museum and for TERC.