Tejal Desai, an esteemed Indian American engineer and biomedical scientist, dean of engineering at Brown University, is set to lead its new Institute of Innovation, Technology and Translation in San Francisco.
The institute will be a prominent feature of Vanderbilt’s new campus in San Francisco, which is expected to open next fall, pending required regulatory approvals, according to a university release.
Desai is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Few researchers hold all three distinctions, which are among the highest a scientist, engineer and innovator can receive in the United States.
Desai will also be a professor of biomedical engineering and will continue her research into applying “microscale and nanoscale technologies to create new and improved ways to deliver medicines to target sites in the body and to enable the body to heal itself.”
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The new institute will be a significant element of Vanderbilt’s contribution to San Francisco’s innovation ecosystem. It will connect the university to one of the world’s most developed and dynamic centers for technology, capital and company creation—acting as a gateway through which Vanderbilt students and faculty can engage with the people, organizations and infrastructure of the Bay Area. These connections will create experiences and relationships that complement opportunities available in Nashville.
“Dr. Desai is a truly exceptional researcher, innovator, educator and academic leader whose achievements across disciplines—and deep experience in the Bay Area’s innovation ecosystem—make her uniquely suited to help shape the future of Vanderbilt’s vision of technology innovation and translation in San Francisco,” said Krish Roy, the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor.
Before joining Brown University as dean in 2022, Desai spent almost 20 years at the University of California–San Francisco, where she led educational and research programs, founded multiple startups and launched multi-institutional initiatives. She also held research and leadership roles jointly with the University of California–Berkeley.
Her relationships across academic, industry, venture capital and civic organizations position her to build connections between Vanderbilt and the broader San Francisco innovation ecosystem.
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“San Francisco has always been a special place for me. It’s where I built my career as a researcher, founder and educator, and where some of the world’s most transformative ideas are brought to life,” Desai said. “I am thrilled to help shape this ambitious vision, creating pathways for our faculty and students to turn bold ideas into real-world impact.”
Emerging technologies are rapidly reshaping technical and creative fields alike, opening up new possibilities for collaboration across disciplines, the release noted. The institute will work with Bay Area startups, industry and venture investors to translate technologies and innovations into real-world products and will explore the growing intersections of engineering, AI, innovation, art, design and architecture.
Vanderbilt aims to bring together its strengths in engineering, computing and technology with creative disciplines to explore new ideas, applications and approaches in San Francisco, according to the release.
The institute will be a platform for interdisciplinary work and connect Vanderbilt faculty and students with the Bay Area’s innovation ecosystem—and vice versa.