University of California President Mark Yudof today announced today that Pradeep K. Khosla, dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering in Pittsburgh, will become the eighth chancellor of UC San Diego.
Yudof noted Khosla’s accomplishments as a leader, educator and researcher. The appointment will be voted on at the May 16 meeting of the UC Board of Regents.
Khosla succeeds Marye Anne Fox who announced last year that she was leaving. He emerged as the top candidate after an international search. Khosla is set to take over from Fox on Aug. 1.
“Pradeep Khosla will bring to UC San Diego a distinctive set of attributes that will enable the university to build on the excellence that has made it one of the top institutions of higher learning in the world,” Yudof said in making the announcement.
“He is a time-tested, oft-honored researcher, an innovative educator dedicated to improving the quality of life for students, faculty and staff, and an entrepreneurial leader with a global vision and proven fundraising abilities.”
In a prepared statement, Khosla said: “In slightly more than 50 years, UC San Diego, under the leadership of Marye Anne Fox and her predecessors, has become one of the world’s top universities. I feel fortunate, humbled and energized to have the opportunity to contribute to that excellence while embracing the challenges of integrating world-class research with an undergraduate educational experience that will remain accessible to all, regardless of family income.”
He declined to be interviewed until after the formal vote later this month.
In nearly eight years as engineering dean at Carnegie Mellon, Khosla reformed undergraduate curricula, initiated diversity efforts and expanded multidisciplinary and multi-college research centers, multidisciplinary graduate offerings and international programs in Japan, Korea, Portugal, China and Rwanda.
He was known for increasing significantly the number of women and students of color in Carnegie Mellon's graduate programs, according to biographical information on his university's website. Khosla's research has resulted in three books and more than 350 journal articles and conference and book contributions. He is a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences and has been invited to participate in thought leadership forums organized by Fortune Magazine, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), the Milken Institute, the World Economic Forum and the Blouin Foundation, among others. He has served on editorial boards for journals and book series.
Khosla is a consultant for companies and venture capitalists and has served on the technology advisory boards of many start-ups. Currently he serves on the advisory boards for iNetworks LLC, ITU Ventures and Alcoa. He is involved with iNetworks in raising a biotechnology fund called BioVentures, and he is the co-founder and a member of the board of directors for Quantapoint Inc. and BiometriCore Inc. He also serves on the board of directors for BitArmor Inc., the Children’s Institute, the IIT Foundation, Mellon-Pitt (MPC) Corporation, the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI), the Doyle Center and the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
“UC San Diego’s astounding growth and success are due in large part to its history of partnership with and support from the San Diego community,” Yudof said. “Pradeep understands the importance of these connections and will foster and expand them.”
Khosla grew up in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. He earned his MS and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon in 1984 and 1986 after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1980 and working for two years in India as an engineer.
He and his wife, Thespine, have three children ranging in age from 11 to 21.
