A renowned researcher, inventor, and dean of engineering and applied science at Princeton University who was appointed president of Stony Brook University has a mandate to advance its innovation and national standing.
The State University of New York Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Feb. 19 to appoint Andrea Goldsmith, Ph.D., the president of SBU, effective Aug. 1. The incoming leader of the Seawolves is being tasked with taking the university to the next level.
“I look forward to getting to know the Stony Brook community and to working alongside Stony Brook’s exceptional faculty and staff to serve our students and build upon the university’s upward momentum to achieve new heights of success in education, research, service, and global impact,” Goldsmith said.
In her new role, Goldsmith will lead SBU’s 26,000 students, more than 3,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional education faculty members, 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, and co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy, as the university is one of eight nationwide with a role in running a federal research lab. She will also oversee the Stony Brook Medicine, which comprises five health sciences schools, three hospitals, a skilled nursing facility, and more than 200 community-based healthcare settings.
“From the arts and humanities to artificial intelligence, engineering, and quantum physics and so much more, Stony Brook University has helped more than 220,000 alumni launch their careers, and we are excited to have Dr. Goldsmith lead the university to help more New Yorkers achieve their dreams and lead the future,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said.
Goldsmith will be the seventh president of SBU, taking over for Richard McCormick, who has served as interim president since Maurie McInnis stepped down in May 2024 to become the president of Yale University.
Goldsmith earned a B.S. in engineering math as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from U.C. Berkeley. Her expertise is in the fields of communications, control, and signal processing, and their application to wireless communications, interconnected systems, and biomedical devices. Before her time at Princeton, Goldsmith was the Stephen Harris Professor of Engineering and Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, where she is now Harris Professor Emerita.
“She is exceptionally qualified and has the talent and drive to enable transformational change,” BNL Director JoAnne Hewett said. “We served together on the faculty senate at Stanford University, and we will work together to further strengthen the collaboration between Brookhaven Lab and SBU to the benefit of both institutions as well as science and technology on Long Island.”
Goldsmith was also the founding chief technical officer of Plume WiFi and of Quantenna, Inc. as well as an inventor on 38 patents. She serves on the board of directors for Intel, Medtronic, Crown Castle Inc, and the Marconi Society and previously served on the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. She authored the book Wireless Communications and co-authored MIMO Wireless Communications, Principles of Cognitive Radio, and Machine Learning and Wireless Communications.
“Dr. Goldsmith stood out as a leader with the vision, expertise, and dedication to take Stony Brook to new heights,” said Kevin Law, chairman of the Stony Brook Council and Presidential Search Committee. “We are confident she is the ideal choice to lead us into an exciting future.”
