About

In partnership with senior leaders, the provost’s team has broad involvement and impact across academics, research and finances, and governing bodies at MIT.

01.About the role#Section link copied to clipboard

The MIT provost promotes excellence

The provost serves as the Institute’s chief academic and budget officer, promoting excellence in academics and research.

Reporting to the president, the provost oversees academic deans, serves on Institute boards and committees, directs the Provost’s Office team, and stewards MIT’s finances and faculty growth.

View areas of oversight

02.About the person#Section link copied to clipboard

Anantha Chandrakasan

Provost Chandrakasan: leading innovation at MIT

Anantha P. Chandrakasan is the provost and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

A member of the Institute’s faculty since 1994, Chandrakasan has been a leader at MIT in many roles, including appointments as dean of the School of Engineering (2017-2025) and MIT’s inaugural chief innovation and strategy officer (2024-2025).

Provost Chandrakasan up close:

Anantha P. Chandrakasan earned his PhD in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley in 1994, joining the MIT faculty later that year. Chandrakasan served as the director of the MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories from 2006 to 2011 and the head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) from 2011 to 2017. In his various leadership roles, Chandrakasan has launched dozens of programs, initiatives, committees, consortia, and cross-disciplinary collaboratives that have had a lasting impact on the Institute.

A fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Chandrakasan was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2015 and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2019, and was elected as fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery in 2020. His research has focused on security hardware, energy harvesting, and wireless charging for the internet of things; energy-efficient circuits and systems for multimedia processing; and platforms for ultra-low-power biomedical electronics.

The provost serves on the following boards and committees: Academic Council, Axim Collaborative Board of Trustees, Broad Institute Collaboration Coordination Committee, MIT Budget and Finance Steering Group, MIT Building Committee,  MIT Enrollment Management Group, MIT Gift Acceptance Committee, MIT Gift Policy Committee, MIT International Corporation Board, MIT Technology Review Board, MIT Solve Steering Committee, Ragon Institute Board, Schwarzman College of Computing External Advisory Council, and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Board.

03.About the office#Section link copied to clipboard

Behind the scenes, our office helps the Institute thrive

The people in the Provost’s Office work with a diverse group of leaders across the Institute to provide academic, administrative and financial resources, and support to MIT’s faculty and staff.

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The office supports the MIT community through:

  • Arts: Oversight of extra-curricular arts programming including the List Visual Arts Center, MIT Museum, Council for the Arts at MIT, and student arts programs.
  • Campus planning: Oversight of campus space management, including the Institute’s space assignments, renovations, and lease budget. The office helps to identify space for academic activities across the Institute. The office also helps to coordinate long-range campus planning and stewardship for large-scale capital projects in partnership with the Office of the Executive Vice President and Treasurer.
  • Faculty programs: Through the Faculty Concierge, the Office of Faculty Programs provides programs for faculty at all stages, from the first days on campus through the post-tenure transition.
  • International activities: Oversight of international policies and programs, consultation with faculty on the development of international activities, shaping of major new international initiatives, and development of strategic priorities for the Institute’s global engagement.
  • Open learning: Shaping how MIT extends its knowledge to the world, by supporting innovation and research on teaching and learning and providing platforms for digital education
  • Headquarters staff: Management of day-to-day operations in the Provost’s Office and support for school and college administrators.

04.History #Section link copied to clipboard

Previous appointees

  • Julius Adams Stratton, 1949-1952
  • Charles Hard Townes, 1961-1966
  • Jerome Bert Wiesner, 1966-1971
  • Walter A. Rosenblith, 1971-1980
  • Francis Eugene Low, 1980-1985
  • John M. Deutch, 1985-1990
  • Mark S. Wrighton, 1990-1995
  • Joel Moses, 1995-1998
  • Robert A. Brown, 1998-2005
  • L. Rafael Reif, 2005-2012
  • Chris A. Kaiser, 2012-2013
  • Martin Schmidt, 2013-2014 (Acting Provost), 2014-2022 (Provost)
  • Cynthia Barnhart, 2022-2025
  • Anantha Chandrakasan, 2025-present
My goal is to continue to facilitate excellence at MIT at all levels for the benefit of the nation and the world. To fuel that kind of impact, our work is to advance the tremendous opportunities for the Institute to lead research and drive innovation in areas including AI, semiconductors, quantum, human health, manufacturing, the humanities, and more.”
Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT Provost
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