UB President Tripathi named Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences

BUFFALO, N.Y. — University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and other revolutionary leaders, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest scholarly societies in the United States. Current members represent innovative thinkers across various fields and professions, including more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.

Tripathi and 249 other new members, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, will be inducted on Sept. 20-21 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, non-profit, and private sectors for their accomplishments and for the curiosity, creativity, and courage required to reach new heights,” said David Oxtoby, president of the academy. “We invite these exceptional individuals to join in the Academy’s work to address serious challenges and advance the common good.”

Internationally recognized as an accomplished researcher and transformative higher education leader, Tripathi was appointed the 15th president of UB on April 18, 2011. A native of India, he is the first international-born president in the university’s history.

Tripathi’s vision as president has focused on positioning UB among the top 25 public research universities in the nation by expanding its reach and impact — locally and globally.

UB was designated a flagship institution of SUNY by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022, underscoring its reputation as a premier public research university.

During Tripathi’s presidency, the university has excelled in attracting and retaining exceptional students who are being recognized with Goldwater scholarships, Truman awards and other prestigious honors. Faculty excellence has also grown, with researchers being nationally and internationally recognized as Fulbright scholars, members of the National Academies, recipients of National Science Foundation CAREER Awards and SUNY Distinguished Professorships.

Under his leadership, research expenditures have increased significantly, as evidenced by national research centers, such as the $20 million National AI Institute for Exceptional Education, and two Clinical and Translational Science Awards, totaling more than $36 million.

UB has also opened six major building projects on its three campuses, including the $375 million building for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. This anchor of UB’s downtown campus was made possible with a $40 million gift — the largest in university history.

In 2018, Tripathi launched UB’s comprehensive Boldly Buffalo campaign, which surprised its original goal of $650 million within three years. It then surpassed its expanded $1 billion goal last year, eight months before its official close date of June 30, 2024. 

Tripathi has also amplified and solidified UB’s decades-long reputation as a leader in AI and data science. The recently finalized 2025 state budget names UB as the site of Empire AI and its state-of-the-art supercomputing center, a $400 million statewide consortium focused on the ethical and responsible use of AI. 

Tripathi joined UB in 2004, serving as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. He was one of the principal creators of the UB 2020 long-range academic plan and led a strategic planning process to significantly expand the university’s international presence. 

 Prior to joining UB,  Tripathi served from 1997 to 2004 as dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California-Riverside. There, he nearly quadrupled the number of engineering students and tripled the number of faculty, leading the college’s rise from an unranked program to a position in the upper half of the U.S. News and World Report Best Engineering Graduate Schools rankings.

Tripathi was a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland from 1978 to 1997. He served as chair from 1988 to 1995. 

He graduated at the top of his class from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in India and holds a doctorate in computer science from the University of Toronto, as well as three master’s degrees — one in computer science from the University of Toronto and two in statistics from the University of Alberta and BHU. 

Tripathi is co-chair of the Association of American Universities (AAU) Task Force on Expanding U.S.-India University Partnerships, chair emeritus of the Internet2 board of trustees and serves on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. 

A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Tripathi has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, and Brock University in Canada.