UBC names Dr. Arvind Gupta as incoming President

The University of British Columbia has named Dr. Arvind Gupta as its new president.

Gupta, who is currently Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Director of Mitacs, will replace outgoing President Stephen Toope at the beginning of July.

“As a member of the UBC community, I know how great a responsibility and honour this is,” said Gupta in a statement. “I have the privilege of taking the baton from Professor Toope who has guided UBC to a strong position. We have exciting days ahead and I relish the opportunity.”

Gupta, who has a PhD from the University of Toronto, was a professor at SFU from 1991 to 2009 before joining UBC in 2009. He sits on the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council, speaks frequently on research and innovation policy, and has two daughters currently attending UBC. His company, Mitacs, specializes in creating training programs and partnerships for researchers and innovators.

UBC has two campuses in B.C. in Vancouver and Kelowna, and has an annual budget of $2.2 billion.

Gupta replaces Toope, who was well-regarded by academics and teachers alike, and led UBC since 2006 without any major controversies or financial crises. He decided to step down from his post two years before his term ended, and will be the new Director of the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.