Who Is Ravi V. Bellamkonda? Indian-American Scientist Appointed Ohio State University President

The appointment of the 18th president of The Ohio State University as well as one of the largest public institutions in America was announced by the Board of Trustees on March 12,2026.

Dr. Ravi V. Bellamkonda takes on this role after many years of experience in the field of higher education, including as a researcher, administrator, and biomedical engineer.

His appointment is a pivotal point for the university as it transitions from the presidency of Ted Carter, who left in March 2020, the university was looking to quickly establish a stable leadership presence while continuing with their academic and research programs. 

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Academic Career and Leadership

Before his presidency 2025, Bellamkonda was executive vice president and provost at The Ohio State University since January 2022, where he was the chief academic officer of the university overseeing the academic programs of more than 67,000 students across many colleges and campuses, as well as thousands of faculty.

Prior to his job at OSU, Bellamkonda has held various senior leadership positions in post-secondary education including provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Emory University and earlier as the Vinik Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. 

Bellamkonda has also been a professor and department chair of biomedical engineering at both Georgia Tech and Emory University.

Education and Scientific Research

Born in India, Bellamkonda received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Osmania University prior to coming to the United States for graduate school. He completed an M.A. at Brown University then participated in post-doctoral work at MIT.

As a biomedical engineer with a specialty in neuroscience, Bellamkonda’s research focuses on developing novel biomaterials and therapeutic modalities related to the nervous system, particularly regarding spinal cord injury and tumors of the brain.

In addition, Bellamkonda has developed novel technologies that will potentially improve the treatment of cancer as well as enhance repair of nerves.