Daniele C. Struppa

Dr. Daniele C. Struppa is President Emeritus of Chapman University and holds the Parker Kennedy Endowed Chair in Mathematics. He served as Chapman’s 13th President from 2016 to 2025, during which he oversaw a period of significant institutional expansion, strengthened academic quality and advanced the university’s research profile. Prior to his presidency, he served as Chancellor (Chief Academic Officer) from 2006 to 2016, and earlier as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at George Mason University from 1997 to 2006.

An accomplished mathematician specializing in Fourier Analysis, Dr. Struppa is the author of 10 books and more than 250 peer-reviewed publications. His scholarship has also led to multiple patents in signal processing. He has been recognized with several prestigious honors, including the Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences (2016) and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and he is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Born in Milan, Italy, Dr. Struppa moved to the United States in 1978 to pursue his PhD at the University of Maryland. After several years in Italy, he returned to the US in 1988 as a professor of mathematics at George Mason University, marking the beginning of his longstanding career in American higher education.

Dr. Struppa is married to Dr. Mary Elizabeth (Lisa) Sparks, Founding Dean of Chapman University’s School of Communication. They have four children: Alessandro, Elena, Arianna and Athena.