Farnam Jahanian, the nationally recognized computer scientist, successful entrepreneur, senior public servant and respected leader in higher education, has been appointed as the 10th president of Carnegie Mellon University. The appointment is effective immediately, with a formal inauguration scheduled for fall 2018.

Jahanian's distinguished and multifaceted career in academia, industry and the public sphere — and the many realms where those sectors intersect to support research and education — led him to Carnegie Mellon in 2014, as vice president for research. He then served two years as provost, and took over last July as CMU's interim president.

With the strong support of the university's trustees, as well as academic and administrative leaders, Jahanian has led a period of accelerating momentum in education and research at the nexus of technology and human life. The board of trustees voted unanimously on Jahanian's appointment Wednesday.

"A rigorous, international search has made it clear that Dr. Jahanian possesses a rare set of qualities and experiences that make him exactly the right leader for this university at this extraordinary moment in its history," wrote James E. Rohr, chair of the CMU Board of Trustees, in a message to the Carnegie Mellon community. "Dr. Jahanian embodies a bold, boundary-crossing, creative approach to the most important issues of our time — the very qualities that define and differentiate Carnegie Mellon, positioning this university to shape our world at the nexus of technology and human life."

"During his time as provost and interim president, Dr. Jahanian has led this institution with an irresistible urgency and a determination to seize the opportunities at hand," Rohr wrote. "He has enabled the deans, senior administrators, faculty, staff and students to pursue excellence at every level of their work. Through the power of his vision and his deft understanding of human nature, he has facilitated new levels of collaboration across the institution — an essential step in securing CMU's place among the greatest universities in the world."

Jahanian, who enthusiastically joined CMU's campus life and has become a fixture at Tartan athletic competitions, arts performances and student-run service events, said that there is no better place to shape the future than at Carnegie Mellon.