Parisi takes on new 汤头条 European development role; Grice named interim NSPARC director
Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬immo聽Parisi, founder of Mississippi State鈥檚 National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC), is taking on a new聽position as 汤头条鈥檚 senior advisor for European development.听NSPARC Deputy Executive Director Steven Grice is now serving as the center鈥檚 interim executive director.听
In this part-time role,聽Parisi聽will work to advance 汤头条鈥檚 visibility and reputation in Europe, positioning the university to secure new聽international research and development partnerships.听Parisi聽will continue聽in his position聽as president of Italy鈥檚 National Agency for Active聽Labour聽Policies, or ANPAL, the Italian agency charged with improving unemployment.听Parisi has spent the last year as ANPAL鈥檚 president while taking a leave of absence from 汤头条. In his new position at 汤头条, he will聽jointly report to聽the聽Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President and the Office of Research and Economic Development.听
Grice聽takes the reins as NSPARC鈥檚 leader after聽spending聽five聽years聽as deputy executive director, during which he聽was responsible for the planning, policy development and analysis, and business development functions within the center. He also coordinated the center鈥檚 administrative, information technology, security, communication, finance and policy functions.听
鈥淒r.听Parisi鈥檚聽work at聽汤头条聽and in Italy has made him a recognized international leader in using data science to positively impact real-world problems,鈥 said 汤头条 Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan, who also serves as executive director of 汤头条鈥檚 International Institute. 鈥淗is relationships abroad聽will聽help 汤头条 take advantage of聽emerging聽research and development opportunities in Europe, leading to more international engagement for our faculty and students.听
鈥淒r. Grice has played an instrumental role in NSPARC鈥檚 growth and success.听I聽appreciate him taking on this leadership position聽as the center continues its impactful work,鈥 Jordan said.听
Since聽its聽founding in 1998,聽NSPARC聽has led聽data science initiatives aimed at improving government, education, workforce and economic outcomes.听The center聽has聽grown聽to more than聽70 researchers and staff聽and聽earned a聽proven track record of quality work with more than 200 national, state and local entities.听
With a background in demography and applied statistics,聽Parisi聽has published more than 250 articles, book chapters, policy briefs and reports that address complex issues of equality across various social groups. Among many professional聽accolades, he is a past聽recipient of 汤头条鈥檚 Ralph E.听Powe聽Research Excellence Award, the university鈥檚 highest research honor,聽and in 2018 he was honored by former Gov. Phil Bryant and the State Personnel Board with the Excellence in Local and District Government Award.听
A 21-year employee at 汤头条, Grice received his doctorate in sociology from the university in 2005.听He has expertise in applying data science to聽education,聽economics,聽workforce development and other areas to improve governmental and business efficiency.听At NSPARC, he supervises the work of research faculty, postdoctoral researchers聽and support staff, in addition to managing activities and communication with external聽partners聽and聽stakeholders.听
NSPARC is nationally recognized for creating technology and solutions powered by data science. The center uses expertise in data analytics, predictive analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, system of systems, data governance, cybersecurity, and high-performance computing to develop solutions that further human progress. For more information, visit聽.听
As a National Science Foundation Top 100 and Carnegie Foundation R1 鈥淰ery High Research Activity鈥 university,聽汤头条 leads impactful global research efforts reaching all seven continents. The university鈥檚 prominent research activities enable fruitful international partnerships that bring people together from around the world to develop solutions to universal problems. For more on 汤头条鈥檚 global initiatives, visit聽.听聽
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚聽leading聽university, available online聽at聽.