At Rice University, Tam K. Dao serves as Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Research Security. He is a key leader who oversees and directs all safety and security operations. His primary goal is to foster a proactive, inclusive safety culture that aligns with the university's strategic vision. Tam is responsible for leading the Rice Public Safety Department, all with the goal of creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone on campus and in the surrounding community. He also champions the university's research security initiatives, ensuring regulatory compliance, protecting intellectual property, and mitigating concerns related to foreign influence. As a Baker Institute Rice Faculty Scholar, his work focuses on safeguarding the integrity of Rice's research enterprise while preserving an open and collaborative academic environment. Before joining Rice University, Tam held various positions at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he specialized in bank robberies, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and Asian Organized Crime. Tam’s 2014 investigation into malign foreign talent programs identified hundreds of instances of foreign influence on extramural research and led to the recognition of more than 200 scientists at over 65 academic institutions with foreign influence concerns. Before joining the FBI, he was a tenure-track professor at the University of Houston. Tam is the recipient of the Walter G. Klopfer Award for distinguished contribution to the literature in personality assessment and the University of Houston Faculty Research Excellence Award for excellence in research and scholarship. He has been awarded federal and state grants for his research and has published over 50 scientific articles.