Jignesh Patel Tapped To Lead CMU Miami as Founding Dean, Vice President
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 - by Aaron Aupperlee
Carnegie Mellon University has named an innovative educator, trailblazing researcher and savvy entrepreneur to help lead its new campus.
Jignesh Patel will serve as the founding dean and vice president of CMU Miami, a new campus announced on Sept. 30 by CMU President Farnam Jahanian and made possible thanks to a transformative philanthropic investment by Citadel founder and CEO and Griffin Catalyst founder Ken Griffin.
“CMU Miami represents a bold new chapter for Carnegie Mellon — one grounded in our strengths, animated by our mission and designed to meet the urgency of this moment for higher education, research and innovation. Jignesh Patel is exactly the right leader to help bring this vision to life,” said Jahanian. “He is a distinguished scholar, an exceptional educator and an entrepreneur who understands how to move ideas from discovery to impact. From the earliest stages of this effort, Jignesh has helped shape CMU Miami’s academic mission, research priorities and grand challenge model with clarity, energy and deep institutional commitment. His leadership will be essential as we build a campus that reflects the very best of Carnegie Mellon: rigorous, interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial and focused on solving problems that matter.”
Patel, a distinguished computer scientist, will shape the campus’ work, leading efforts to recruit top faculty and students, building partnerships across private and public sectors, and working to establish CMU Miami as a distinctive hub where bold ideas can move quickly from lab to widespread adoption.