MIT announced that Rafael Reif will be its new president, reports ScienceInsider. "I cannot tell you that it is a dream come true, because it's a dream I never dared to imagine," he says, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Currently, Reif, who is an electrical engineer, serves as the school's provost. He joined the MIT faculty in 1980. Reif was also part of an effort at MIT to address race and diversity, and he led the development of the online learning initiatives MITx and edX, which are in conjunction with Harvard University.
Nature's Boston Blog notes that the search process was short. "MIT's presidential search has played out with breathtaking speed," adds the Boston Globe. "The search committee was named March 8, less than 10 weeks ago." The Globe says that campus rumors had focused on Tyler Jack and Eric Lander as well as on Reif.
Reif replaces Susan Hockfield, who announced in February that she would be stepping down from the post. He will take over the post on July 2, the Chronicle adds.