Carnegie Mellon President Subra Suresh elected to Institute of Medicine

Press release

Published October 23rd, 2013 - 04:37 GMT

Subra Suresh, President of Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar celebrated today the historic election of Subra Suresh, President of Carnegie Mellon University, to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), making him the only current university president to be elected to all three U.S. national academies. The IOM recognized Suresh for advancing health and medicine through his research into cell mechanics related to malaria, blood diseases and certain types of cancer.

The national academies (IOM, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering) are honorific, private, nonprofit institutions that provide expert advice on some of the most pressing challenges facing the nation and the world, helping to shape policies, inform public opinion, and advance the pursuit of science, engineering and medicine.

"Election to a National Academy is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to engineers, scientists and medical and health professionals," said CMU-Q Dean Ilker Baybars. "As one of only 16 living Americans to be elected to all three national academies, Suresh’s work reflects CMU’s interdisciplinary nature and collaborative spirit, a spirit we continue to honor both on the Pittsburgh and Doha campuses."

CMU is known for bringing together faculty, students and staff from its various colleges and schools to solve real-world problems, in areas ranging from energy and the environment to cybersecurity and education. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to their fields.

“CMU’s new president is truly a scientist and educational leader for our time,” said Ray Lane, partner emeritus at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and chairman of Carnegie Mellon’s Board of Trustees, in an email to the CMU global community. “He embodies, through his individual scholarship as well as institutional, national and global leadership, Carnegie Mellon’s commitment to cross boundaries to transform lives.”

Suresh is the first CMU faculty member to hold membership in all three academies. Before becoming president of CMU in July, he served as director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), a $7-billion independent government science agency charged with advancing all fields of fundamental science, engineering research and education.

In addition to the three U.S. National Academies, Suresh has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, Spanish Royal Academy of Engineering, German National Academy of Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, Academy of Sciences of the Developing World, Indian National Academy of Engineering, Indian National Science Academy, and Indian Academy of Sciences. He has been elected a fellow or honorary member of all the major materials research societies in the United States and India.

Background Information

Carnegie Mellon University Qatar

For more than a century, Carnegie Mellon University has challenged the curious and passionate to imagine and deliver work that matters. A private, top-ranked and global university, Carnegie Mellon sets its own course with programs that inspire creativity and collaboration.

In 2004, Carnegie Mellon and Qatar Foundation began a partnership to deliver select programs that will contribute to the long-term development of Qatar. Today, Carnegie Mellon Qatar offers undergraduate programs in biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science, and information systems. Nearly 400 students from 38 countries call Carnegie Mellon Qatar home.