Robert A Brown, PhD

Dr Robert A Brown, a distinguished chemical engineer and educator, served as President of Boston University from 2005 to 2023. It was a period of transformation and growth for the University, recognized externally by increasing student outcomes, improved rankings and, in 2012, membership in the American Association of Universities, the organization of the leading research universities in the United States.

Previously, Dr Brown served as provost and Warren K Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT, where he was on the faculty from 1979 to 2005. He has published more than 250 papers in areas related to mathematical modeling of transport phenomena in materials and served from 1991 to 2004 as executive editor of the journal Chemical Engineering Science. He also served for 18 years as chairman of the Academic Research Council, the primary advisory and oversight committee for university research for the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Singapore. He was named an honorary citizen there in 2005 and The Public Service Star (Distinguished Friends of Singapore) in 2024.

Dr Brown is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Sciences. He was honored in 2008 as one of the top 100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. In 2014, the National Academy of Engineering awarded Dr Brown the Simon Ramo Founders Award for his contributions to engineering and his leadership in transforming disciplines in institutions. He earned BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Dr. Beverly Brown opens in new tab/window, have two grown sons.

Dr. Brown is currently Professor of Engineering and Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University and is a frequent contributor to the literature on leadership of modern research universities. He has a forthcoming book.