HOUSTON — With his new appointment as president of Rice University, Reginald DesRoches continues to break barriers. DesRoches will become the first Black and first immigrant president of the private university located in Houston.


What You Need To Know

  • Following a nationwide search, Rice University officials announced the hiring of its eighth president— Provost Reginald DesRoches

  • DesRoches came to Rice University back in 2017 as the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering at the George R. Brown School of Engineering

  • In his four years at the private institution, he's served as dean, provost and established the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion among other initiatives 

“Just thinking about all the hard work you put in to get to that point in your career, thinking about the sacrifices that my parents made and others made to allow me to get to that point is really an overwhelming feeling,” said DesRoches, reflecting back to when he was announced as the next president in a ceremony on Nov. 11.

DesRoches currently serves as the university’s provost. He began his career at Rice University back in 2017, following his work at Georgia Tech University.

“I often tell people that when you’re Black or part of another underrepresented group, you’re often required to break these barriers to ascend to leadership,” DesRoches said. “So, this is a part of what we do. I was the first Black chair of my department when I was at Georgia Tech, I was the first Black dean at Rice when I came here as dean of engineering, I was the first Black provost, so this is something that is commonly done when you’re moving up when you look like me. And I think what’s important with the breaking of barriers is that it speaks to the power of universities and changing lives, too.”

DesRoches admits the office of president wasn’t necessarily on his radar. But, when his colleague stepped down, he was swamped with calls from supporters urging him to take the next step in his career.

“I had just recently become provost,” he said. “I was dean for three years and the previous provost stepped down. At the time, I was enjoying being dean and thought I’d do that. It’s typically a five-year term.”

In the four years that he’s been at the university, DesRoches has worked to improve the campus community. Under his leadership, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was established, helping to increase diversity among faculty and the graduate student population. As the chief academic officer, he led the university’s transition from in-person learning to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s also been tasked with heading up Rice University’s expansion of the undergraduate study body in more than a decade.

“A big focus of mine as provost where you oversee the faculty hiring has been to try to have as diverse a faculty as you can,” he said. “All the studies show that’s the most important thing you can do is to have faculty that are reflective of the community or at least the student body that you have. So, for students to see somebody who looks like them is extremely important from a retention and motivation perspective.”

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and raised in Queens, New York, he’s the first engineer to lead the university. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Science in Civil Engineering and a doctorate in Structural Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

His work as a structural engineer and earthquake resilience expert has been internationally recognized, testifying before committees of the U.S. House and Senate. Additionally, he chairs the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Construction Safety Team, which is overseeing an investigation into the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominiums that happened on June 24 in Surfside, Florida. The 55-year-old also lent his expertise by volunteering his time to Haitians after the 2010 earthquake that devastated the area.

“When President Leebron told us he was stepping down, we knew we wanted to build upon what he has accomplished these last 18 years,” said Robert Ladd, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “We embarked on a search for a proven leader who will be transformational, who will lead Rice to even greater stature and national recognition. We have found a leader who is inspirational and universally respected, a leader who is visionary, strategic and kind. We are proud to welcome Reginald DesRoches as our university’s next president.”

DesRoches will succeed President David Leebron on July 1 as the school’s eighth president in its 109-year history. Leebron announced his intent to step down next summer, following the end of the academic year.

“Reggie DesRoches is an outstanding choice as Rice’s next president,” Leebron said. “I have had the privilege of working closely with Reggie over the last 4½ years, first in his capacity of dean of engineering and then as provost, and observed firsthand his extraordinary leadership, values, thoughtfulness and ambition for Rice. I am confident he will fully achieve the aspirations of our ‘Be Bold’ campaign, and take Rice to new heights of achievement and impact.”