Arvind Gupta, current chief executive officer and scientific director of Mitacs and member of the BIRS Scientific Advisory Board has been appointment the 13^th President and Vice Chancellor of the University of British Columbia (UBC). Gupta will become president on July 1 for a five-year term, while retaining his position at UBC as professor of computer science.

Gupta is a renowned expert in research and innovation policy whose relentless efforts toward ground-breaking initiatives and research lead toward a goal of building Canada’s capacity and reputation as a world leader and a major international hub for research excellence, experiential learning, advanced training, and knowledge-based innovation.

In collaboration with Nassif Ghoussoub, BIRS Director, and others, Gupta was instrumental in the founding of the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), on the launch of the MITACS Network of Centers of Excellence (now Mprime), and on the creation of BIRS. These three highly acclaimed institutions reflect Gupta’s dedication to enhancing the research and learning capacity of Canadian universities.

“UBC has chosen to appoint a man of vision… [and] action, with considerable experience in conceiving, implementing and delivering innovative programs for advanced research, university-industry synergies, academic training, and job placement for university graduates.” says Ghoussoub.

Read more at www.ubc.ca/newpresident

Read the A Piece of Mind blogpost by Nassif Ghoussoub entitled, UBC appoints a doer as its 13th President