Astrophysicist and academic leader Ray Jayawardhana has been appointed the tenth president of the California Institute of Technology, the institute announced Tuesday.
Jayawardhana, who currently serves as provost of Johns Hopkins University, will assume his new role on July 1. He will succeed Thomas F. Rosenbaum, who has served as Caltech’s president since 2014.
The appointment was made by Caltech’s Board of Trustees following an international search. University officials said Jayawardhana was selected for his combined experience as a leading researcher, senior academic administrator and science communicator.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected as Caltech’s tenth president and to join this remarkable community of trailblazers,” Jayawardhana said. “For more than a century, Caltech has achieved extraordinary and enduring impact from a deceptively simple formula: empowering brilliant minds to explore important questions with imagination and courage and making bold commitments to efforts others might consider too risky or far-fetched.”
He also said the institute is entering a pivotal period for higher education and scientific research.
“We are in a moment of inflection; one marked by dramatic change and immense possibility,” Jayawardhana said. “It’s a moment that calls for Caltech’s distinct contributions and leadership.” He cited uncertainty in research funding and accelerating technological and economic change as challenges facing American research universities.
“The issues and opportunities confronting us demand our very best thinking and our deep engagement,” he said. “Pursuing discoveries vigorously and sharing our findings widely; tackling complex problems and engineering innovative solutions; welcoming debate and critique and fostering a robust exchange of ideas; and keeping a spirit of service at the heart of who we are and what we do.”
Addressing how his leadership will emphasize Caltech’s long-standing mission, Mr Jayawardhana said,
“My commitment is to stay true to Caltech’s North Star of fundamental research and exploration integrated deeply with education, while strengthening this community’s ability to pursue, share, and apply knowledge and innovations that serve and inspire humanity,”
As provost at Johns Hopkins, Jayawardhana has overseen academic and research programs across the university. He previously held senior leadership roles at Cornell University and has served as a faculty member at several leading academic institutions.
Caltech, founded in 1891 and based in Pasadena, is internationally known for its research in science and engineering and for managing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Jayawardhana is set to formally take office this summer, becoming the first Sri Lankan-born president in Caltech’s history. (Newswire)
