Caltech Names Dr. Ray Jayawardhana as Its 10th President

COLOMBO (News 1st); Dr. Ray Jayawardhana, a distinguished academic leader and world-renowned astrophysicist currently serving as Provost of Johns Hopkins University, has been appointed as the next President of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

He will become the 10th president in Caltech’s 105-year history, assuming office on July 1, 2026.

The announcement was made during a community-wide gathering at Caltech’s Pasadena campus, following a months-long international search led by the Institute’s Board of Trustees.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected as Caltech’s tenth president and to join this remarkable community of trailblazers,” said Jayawardhana. “For more than a century, Caltech has achieved extraordinary and enduring impact from a deceptively simple formula: empowering brilliant minds to explore important questions with imagination and courage and making bold commitments to efforts others might consider too risky or far-fetched.”

Jayawardhana emphasized his commitment to Caltech’s core mission of fundamental research and education, while pledging to strengthen the Institute’s ability to pursue, share, and apply knowledge and innovations that serve and inspire humanity.

His vision includes bold investments in innovative ventures on campus, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and across Caltech’s global observatories, as well as enriching the experience of students and expanding public engagement.

Jonas Zmuidzinas, chair of the presidential search committee, noted that the community sought a leader who is not only an accomplished scientist but also embodies Caltech’s commitment to excellence in all aspects.

At Johns Hopkins, Jayawardhana oversees 10 schools and a wide portfolio of interdisciplinary programs and academic centers.

As a scientist, his research explores the origins and evolution of planets and planetary systems, as well as star and brown dwarf formation. He has co-authored 180 refereed papers with over 10,000 citations, underscoring his global impact in astrophysics.