Launching the search for the first vice provost of translation and entrepreneurship

Dear colleagues,

When President Kornbluth and I wrote to you earlier this month to share the final report of the Committee on Accelerating Translation and Entrepreneurship (CATE), we noted that we would soon act to fulfill the committee’s first recommendation: to create a senior-level position to lead the Institute’s efforts on translation and entrepreneurship.

Today, I write to announce the search for MIT’s first-ever vice provost for translation and entrepreneurship (VPTE).

Translation and entrepreneurship, encompassing a broad set of activities by which MIT’s ideas move into the world, are a vital part of MIT’s mission, alongside education and research. Appointing a senior leader focused on this work appropriately reflects its importance.

The VPTE will take responsibility for assessing and coordinating MIT's translation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, working with programs, offices, and leaders across campus to update policy; build shared assessment, tracking, and reporting infrastructure; steward alumni engagement; represent MIT externally; and raise funding. This coordinated approach ensures that institutional strategies, systems, and resources keep pace with the needs of our community, creating a coherent, navigable system that supports MIT faculty, students, and staff as they translate their ideas into real-world impact. More information about the position can be found here.

I am delighted that Professor Michael Birnbaum from the Department of Biological Engineering has agreed to chair the search committee. The names of the other members of the committee, comprising faculty from all the schools and the college as well as staff and external leaders, are listed below my signature. To gather community input, the committee will consult with key stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff. I am grateful to all the members for agreeing to take on this important responsibility.

The committee welcomes nominations and expressions of interest from across the Institute. Candidates may nominate themselves by sending a CV and a brief statement of interest, and others may submit nominations, by writing to vptesearch@mit.edu by September 30, 2026. All submissions and inquiries will be treated as confidential. The committee aims to submit its report to me by the end of the fall term.

MIT is already one of the most entrepreneurial institutions in the world. This new leader will do even more to support our talented, ambitious community of inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs – and to help redefine what leading-edge translation looks like at a great research university.

Sincerely,

Anantha P. Chandrakasan
Provost

Vice Provost for Translation and Entrepreneurship Search Committee

Michael Birnbaum, Underwood-Prescott Professor, Department of Biological Engineering, chair

Dimitris J. Bertsimas, Boeing Leaders for Global Operations Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management

Vladimir Bulović, Fariborz Maseeh (1990) Professor of Emerging Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Canan Dagdeviren, Associate Professor, Program in Media Arts and Sciences

Eran Egozy, Professor of the Practice in Music Technology, Music and Theater Arts Section

Whitney T. Espich, Chief Executive Officer, MIT Alumni Association

Jonathan H. Gruber, Ford International Professor, Department of Economics

Simon H. Johnson, Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship, MIT Sloan School of Management

Emily Knight, CEO and President, The Engine

Tim Kraska, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Roger P. Levy, Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Chair of the Faculty

Lesley Millar-Nicholson, Executive Director, MIT Technology Licensing Office

Caitlin T. Mueller, George Macomber Associate Professor in Construction Management, Department of Architecture

Desirée L. Plata, School of Engineering Distinguished Climate and Energy Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Katie Rae, CEO and Managing Partner, Engine Ventures

Rama Ramakrishnan, Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan School of Management

Ellen T. Roche, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Stefani Spranger, Associate Professor, Department of Biology

Timothy M. Swager, John D. MacArthur Professor, Department of Chemistry

Dan Delgado, Senior Director for Administration, Office of the Provost, staff to the committee