British Columbia

UBC picks Arvind Gupta as next president

The University of British Columbia has named a new president to replace Stephen Toope, who held the post for eight years.

Gupta is an expert in research and innovation policy, and professor of computer science

Dr. Arvind Gupta was named the 13th president and vice chancellor of the University of British Columbia on March 12, 2014. His five-year term will begin July 1, 2014. (UBC)

The University of British Columbia has named a new president to replace Stephen Toope, who held the post for eight years.

Arvind Gupta's five-year- term as UBC's 13th president begins on July 1.

"As a member of the UBC community, I know how great a responsibility and honour this is,” said Gupta in statement released by UBC on Wednesday.

“I have the privilege of taking the baton from Professor Toope who has guided UBC to a strong position. We have exciting days ahead and I relish the opportunity.”

Gupta is a professor of computer science at UBC, a position he will retain while president.

He is also a renowned expert in research and innovation policy and has served on a number of boards and panels, including a federal advisory panel on industrial research and support. He is currently the CEO and scientific director of the non-profit Mitacs.

UBC has more than 58,000 students, 15,000 faculty and staff, and an annual budget of $2.2 billion.