Subra Suresh Assumes Presidency

President Subra Suresh

Carnegie Mellon University's ninth president, Dr. Subra Suresh, officially assumes his new office July 1.

President Suresh had served as the director of the U.S. National Science Foundation, a $7 billion independent government science agency, where he was charged with advancing all fields of fundamental science, engineering research and education.

The university's focus on creating and implementing solutions to real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation is part of what attracted him to Carnegie Mellon.

"The values that underlie the culture of this place are values that are important to me and resonate with my own values," he said.

A distinguished engineer and scientist, Dr. Suresh has been widely honored for his path-breaking work in cellular nanomechanical processes and human disease states. His most recent honors include the 2013 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Since his university appointment was announced in February, Suresh has received many messages of welcome from the CMU community from across the U.S. and around the world.

"During my travels over the past several months, I heard accolades and praise for CMU, its amazing reputation, its stellar faculty, and its many contributions to research and education that have transformed society," Suresh said. "Much of this I knew already; indeed, it is a core reason why I was excited to have the opportunity to lead this great university."

Many of those recent accomplishments include being ranked No. 22 in the world by Times Higher Education of London in 2012. In a 2010 Wall Street Journal poll, job recruiters looking for new hires ranked CMU No. 1 in computer science, No. 4 in finance and No. 7 in business. Since 2007, CMU has ranked No. 1 among all U.S. universities without a medical school in the number of startup companies created per research dollar spent. The university also has expanded to include campuses in Pittsburgh, Qatar and Silicon Valley, and degree-granting programs around the world, including Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America.

Something Suresh and CMU have had in common is the World Economic Forum.

Most recently Suresh spoke at the 2013 World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting as part of a panel on the global outlook of science. He will continue to participate with the Forum on behalf of the university. CMU has had a frequent presence in recent years with faculty and administrators participating in discussions, and the institution is one of only 25 universities in the world that was invited to join the Global University Leaders Forum.

Before being appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Science Foundation in 2010, Dr. Suresh served as the dean of the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was the Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering.

Throughout its 113-year history, CMU has been a birthplace of innovation. With President Suresh at the helm, the university will continue that reputation and explore a future of limitless possibilities.

Homepage Story Archives