Satish K. Tripathi, PhD
Former Chairman of the Board and President, University at Buffalo
The first international-born president in UB’s history, Dr. Tripathi graduated at the top of his class from Banaras Hindu University in India. In addition to a doctorate in computer science from the University of Toronto, he holds three master's degrees—one in computer science from the University of Toronto and two in statistics from the University of Alberta and Banaras Hindu University.
Dr. Tripathi joined the University at Buffalo in 2004, serving as UB’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs until his appointment as president in 2011. As Provost, Dr. Tripathi led the recruitment of many prominent faculty to the university and oversaw a significant increase in the number of faculty hired to develop and enhance strengths in key areas of research and scholarly activity.
As a result, the university achieved substantial increases in research expenditures and federally awarded research grants, putting UB in league with the top national research universities in the United States. Under Dr. Tripathi’s leadership, the academic profile of UB’s undergraduate and graduate students also has improved significantly. He led a number of efforts to enrich the educational experiences of UB undergraduate students by introducing programs designed to provide them with opportunities to engage in learning and research with UB’s top faculty. He also oversaw the development of innovative “living-learning environments” constructed as part of “Building UB,” the university’s comprehensive physical plan.
The University at Buffalo continues to experience a remarkable era of growth, progress, and innovation under Dr. Tripathi’s leadership as president. Within his first year as president, the university celebrated a number of major milestones, including the passage of the NYSUNY 2020 legislation that has led to historic reforms for UB and the SUNY system of public higher education as a whole. Since Dr. Tripathi assumed the presidency in 2011, the university has also opened five major building projects on its three campuses, celebrated a $40 million bequest that is the largest gift in university history, and is moving forward with a long-anticipated plan to relocate its medical school downtown into a world-class new facility that will be the hub of a thriving life sciences community in Buffalo. The university also recently received designation of a New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics, positioning the university at the forefront of the rapidly expanding field of advanced materials.
