TrusteeRay Jayawardhana

Ray Jayawardhana is the 10th president of the California Institute of Technology, Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair, and Professor of Astronomy. A renowned astrophysicist, he studies the origin and evolution of planetary systems, as well as the formation of stars and brown dwarfs. His research uses the largest telescopes on Earth and in space to investigate exoplanets and the prospects for life in the universe. He is a science team member for the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRISS instrument and has co-authored more than 180 scientific papers.

Prior to joining Caltech, Jayawardhana served as Provost of Johns Hopkins University and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, overseeing its ten schools and interdisciplinary programs. He received his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science degree in astronomy and physics from Yale University. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.