Arvind Gupta (academic)
Arvind Gupta | |
|---|---|
| 13th President of the University of British Columbia | |
| In office 2014–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Toope |
| Succeeded by | Martha Piper (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1961 Jalandhar, Punjab, India |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Spouse(s) | Michelle Pereira |
| Children | 3 daughters: Leandra Gupta |
| Alma mater | McMaster University, University of Toronto |
| Occupation | Administrator |
| Profession | Academic, Mathematics, Computer Scientist |
Arvind Gupta (b. circa 1961) is an Indo-Canadian computer scientist who was the 13th President of the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the former CEO of Mitacs Canada.
Early life and education[edit]
Gupta was born in Jalandhar in the Indian state of Punjab.[1] Both his parents were academics. His mother was one of the first women to teach mathematics at a college in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.[2]
Gupta lived in India and spoke Punjabi for his first five years until his family moved to Detroit where his father, a chemistry professor, had started a fellowship at Wayne State University. He then learned to speak English. Within two years, they moved to Timmins, Ontario after his father earned a job as a pollution chemist with a mining company.
He obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario before earning a master's and a PhD at the University of Toronto. His family knew some of the victims killed in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182.[2]
Academia[edit]
Gupta spent 18 years in the School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University before being recruited by UBC in 2009 as a professor of computer science.
In 2012, he joined the federal government's Science, Technology and Innovation Council.[3]
From 2000 until his appointment as President of UBC in 2014, Gupta served as CEO and scientific director of Mitacs Canada, a national non-profit that worked with government and industry to fund student researchers.
In his inauguration, Gupta committed to increasing UBC's focus on research.[4] Gupta resigned abruptly from his position as President of UBC on August 7, 2015, after 13 months of service. The reasons for his resignation were not revealed[5] and caused some public controversies.
In October 2015, the University of Toronto announced Gupta's joining them as a distinguished visiting professor for one academic year.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Sherlock, Tracey (Sep 13, 2014). "University of B.C. boss hates missed opportunities". Vancouver Sun.
- ^ a b Smith, Charlie (March 26, 2014). "Incoming UBC president reinforces university's global brand". Georgia Straight. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ^ Ian Bailey; James Bradshaw (March 12, 2014). "Arvind Gupta, innovation expert, named next president of UBC". Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ^ Dhillon, Sunny (Sep 12, 2014). "UBC's Gupta kicks off term as president by adding $100-million to research funding". Globe and Mail.
- ^ 7, Media Release | August. "UBC announces leadership transition". UBC News. Retrieved 2015-08-07.
- ^ "Arvind Gupta, former UBC president, joins University of Toronto". CBC News. Canadian Press. Oct 1, 2015.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Stephen Toope |
President of the University of British Columbia 2014–2015 |
Succeeded by Martha Piper (interim) |
- 1961 births
- Living people
- Canadian university and college chief executives
- Canadian computer scientists
- Indian emigrants to Canada
- McMaster University alumni
- Scientists from Vancouver
- Presidents of the University of British Columbia
- Simon Fraser University faculty
- University of Toronto alumni
- University of British Columbia faculty
