COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State leaders have selected scientist and high education administrative leader Ravi Bellamkonda as the university’s next executive vice president and provost.
The selection was announced by Ohio State President Ted Carter on Monday. Bellamkonda currently serves as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Emory University.
Pending approval by the Board of Trustees, Bellamkonda will begin his tenure at Ohio State on Jan. 14, 2025.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Dr. Bellamkonda and his exemplary record of research, teaching and service to the Ohio State community,” Carter said. “In searching for a chief academic officer, it was critical that we find the exact right individual – someone who exemplifies our commitment to excellence in academics as well as collaborative leadership.”
In his role, he will oversee programs and initiatives in the Office of Academic Affairs. The deans of all 15 academic colleges and university libraries will report to Bellamkonda.
Bellamkonda will also serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
Prior to working at Emory, he served as the Vinik Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. He was trained as a bioengineer and neuroscientist and previously served as the Wallace H. Coulter professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and associate vice president for research at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University.
“I believe deeply in the noble mission of higher education and the excellence of higher education in the United States, especially its impact on research, shaping the future through the education of our students, and our responsibility to engagement in our communities,” Bellamkonda said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to serve The Ohio State University with its scale and reach.”
According to a release from the university, Bellamkonda is an internationally renowned biomedical researcher, whose lab has invented novel approaches to treat pediatric and adult brain tumors.
Bellamkonda succeeds interim executive vice president and provost Karla Zadnik. Zadnik will continue to serve as the interim dean of the College of Public Health while that dean search continues.
