Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science Andrea Goldsmith has been named the seventh president of Stony Brook University after the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees confirmed her appointment during a meeting earlier today. Goldsmith will take office Aug. 1, 2025.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to have a significant impact on education, on research, on articulating the value of higher education and research on the country and the world. I became captivated by Stony Brook’s mission and the opportunity to lead it to new heights of excellence and impact,” Goldsmith told The Daily Princetonian in an interview.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for me to have even more of an impact than I have had as Dean of Engineering at Princeton.”
Goldsmith’s path in engineering began at UC Berkeley, where her dad was a mechanical engineering professor.
“I didn’t think I wanted to be an engineer. My first year of college was really challenging, and most people in the School of Engineering at Berkeley didn’t think I belonged there, because I wasn’t doing that well,” she said.
Over time, she discovered a passion for communications technology and wireless connectivity’s potential to transform the world. After earning her degrees, she started her teaching career at Caltech before spending 21 years at Stanford, where she was the Stephen Harris Professor of Engineering. In 2020, Goldsmith left Stanford to take the Dean of Engineering position at Princeton.
“What attracted me to come to Princeton was to be able to join an exceptional University and be part of taking an organization and increasing its excellence and impact,” she said.
During her time at Princeton, Goldsmith looked to make an impact right away, even during the height of the pandemic. She told the ‘Prince’ that “[she] was able to meet all the faculty in the School of Engineering and some of the students and the leaders across the institution and really understand the culture of Princeton and the aspirations of the faculty and the students.”
Goldsmith led the School of Engineering through significant growth. Faculty increased by 29 percent, Ph.D. enrollment by 31 percent, and annual research funding by 24 percent to $90 million. She launched major interdisciplinary initiatives, including the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute, and expanded research in robotics, the blockchain, artificial intelligence, and wireless technologies.
University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 praised Goldsmith in the University press release.
“Andrea Goldsmith is a bold, visionary, and entrepreneurial leader who is committed to academic excellence and to facilitating education and research that enhances people’s lives,” he wrote. “I am grateful to Andrea for her many achievements at Princeton, and I wish her every success as she takes the helm at another of America’s leading research universities.”
Goldsmith will replace interim president Richard L. McCormick, who served during the 2024–25 academic year. McCormick assumed the position after former president Maurie McInnis left to become president of Yale University.
Stony Brook University is recognized for its research excellence and social mobility. Goldsmith will oversee Stony Brook Medicine, Long Island’s premier academic medical center, and its partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory. Stony Brook also serves as the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange.
“I’m looking forward to being the lead institution in the New York Climate Exchange, which is an opportunity to really impact the existential threat of climate change and find ways to partner to create solutions for the climate change that we’re experiencing,” Goldsmith said.
Provost Jennifer Rexford will lead the search to select Goldsmith’s successor, with the goal of having a new dean selected by the 2025–26 academic year.
“My favorite thing about being dean of Princeton is the people,” Goldsmith noted. “Princeton is a magical University, and what makes it so special is the people.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate News editor, senior Sports writer, and Education Director for the ‘Prince.’
Meghana Veldhuis is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince’ from Bergen County, N.J. She typically covers graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and campus unions.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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