Arvind Gupta (academic)

This article is about the Canadian academic administrator. For the defence expert, see Arvind Gupta (administrator). For toy inventor and science promoter, see Arvind Gupta.
Arvind Gupta
13th President of the University of British Columbia
Incumbent
Assumed office
2014
Preceded by Stephen Toope
Personal details
Born 1961
India
Nationality Canadian
Spouse(s) Michelle Pereira
Children 3 daughters: Leandra Gupta
Residence Norman Mackenzie House, University Endowment Lands, Vancouver
Alma mater McMaster University, University of Toronto
Occupation Administrator
Profession Academic, Mathematics, Computer Scientist
Website www.twitter.com/arvindUBC

Arvind Gupta (b. circa 1961) is an Indo-Canadian computer scientist who is the 13th President of the University of British Columbia (UBC) and former CEO of Mitacs Canada.

Early life and education

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 the 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 University of Toronto. His family knew some of the victims killed in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182.[2]

Academia

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]

References

  1. ↑ Sherlock, Tracey (Sep 13, 2014). "University of B.C. boss hates missed opportunities". Vancouver Sun.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Smith, Charlie (March 26, 2014). "Incoming UBC president reinforces university's global brand". Georgia Straight. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Ian Bailey; James Bradshaw (March 12, 2014). "Arvind Gupta, innovation expert, named next president of UBC". Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ Dhillon, Sunny (Sep 12, 2014). "UBC’s Gupta kicks off term as president by adding $100-million to research funding". Globe and Mail.

External links