New leadership for SMART

Dear colleagues,

I write today to announce the appointment of Bruce Tidor, professor of biological engineering and computer science, as the interim CEO and director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), effective January 1, 2025.

Established in 2007 as a partnership with the National Research Foundation of Singapore, SMART is MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore. SMART has enabled MIT faculty to take on complex, large-scale advanced research projects in collaboration with colleagues at Singapore institutions.

Record of accomplishment

Bruce will bring a wealth of experience with collaborative programs, international engagements, and governance to his new role. He has held leadership positions in the DuPont MIT Alliance, the MIT Skoltech Program, and the MIT Portugal Program. Bruce was also a SMART PI in the BioSystems and Micromechanics IRG for more than a decade.

For the past several years, he served as a faculty coordinator in the Office of the Vice Provost for International Activities (VPIA) and, for a period, as deputy VPIA. Bruce has also contributed to advancing the Institute’s education and research missions as associate chair of the faculty, chair of the MIT Press editorial board, and as the founding director of the computational and systems biology graduate program.

Bruce will dedicate his one-year appointment to exploring strategic needs and opportunities for SMART and MIT, and to identifying new ways for MIT and Singapore to work together. This work will require him to spend a substantial amount of time both in Singapore and at MIT to seek input and identify synergies. He will report to me and the SMART Governing Board.

I am profoundly grateful to the search advisory group, listed below, for sharing their insights with me and for helping to inform my thinking about how to best leverage this interim period. I believe now is the right moment to reconsider how research and innovation have evolved in the 17 years since SMART’s inception so that we can reimagine our partnership with Singapore. Bruce is the right leader to help us seize this opportunity for reinvention.

With gratitude

Bruce will succeed Professor Gene Fitzgerald, the Merton C. Flemings (1951) SMA Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, whose term as the SMART CEO and director concludes at the end of this month. During Gene’s six-year tenure, he expanded the SMART Innovation Centre, strengthened the connections between early-stage research projects and their commercialization impact, enhanced SMART’s stature through increased external engagement, and pioneered novel processes for developing new integrated research programs. Gene was also responsible for steering SMART through the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring the safety of staff and the continuity of research. Gene has made profound contributions during his time at the helm of SMART, and I deeply appreciate his leadership and service.

Please join me in applauding Gene for a job well done and in congratulating Bruce on his important new role during this period of transition.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Barnhart
Provost

SMART Search Advisory Group

Bruce Tidor (chair), Professor of Biological Engineering and Computer Science*

Rohan Abeyaratne, Berg Professor of Mechanics

Laurie Boyer, Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering

Michael A. Cusumano, Sloan Management Review Distinguished Professor of Management, Deputy Dean for Faculty and Research

Paula T. Hammond, Institute Professor, Vice Provost for Faculty

Daniel E. Hastings, Interim Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education

Cecelia Wardle, Office of the Vice Provost for International Activities, staff to the committee

*Bruce served on the committee until he was identified as a candidate.