Reginald DesRoches is Rice University’s eighth president. He also serves as a professor of
civil and environmental engineering and professor of mechanical engineering. As president,
DesRoches is the chief executive officer of the university and its 8,800-plus students, eight
schools and more than 900 faculty. He previously served as Rice’s Howard Hughes Provost and
William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering in the School of Engineering and Computing.

During his time as president, DesRoches has launched a period of strategic growth at Rice,
increasing the number of undergraduate and graduate students by 20% while maintaining the
university’s low student-to-faculty ratio and deep commitment to excellence and access. Under
his leadership, DesRoches has overseen the hiring of a record number of faculty, established
new majors and minors, increased the university’s research awards, launched several new
centers and institutes, and forged new partnerships and programs in the Houston area,
including the Texas Medical Center. He is a proponent of the international role of education and
research and has launched Rice Global India in Bengaluru to increase collaboration between
Rice and one of India’s rapidly growing high-tech cities. DesRoches also has helped grow and
strengthen Rice’s presence in Europe and Latin America.

He is a member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, and National Academy of Construction. He is also a distinguished member of the
American Society of Civil Engineering and a fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. DesRoches is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Alumni in
Civil Engineering at his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley, and was named an
honorary alumnus of Georgia Tech.

DesRoches was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and grew up in Queens, New York. He earned his
Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, a Master of Science in civil engineering and a
Doctorate in structural engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
DesRoches is married to Paula DesRoches, a highly accomplished health care professional,
nurse practitioner and administrator recognized for her leadership in occupational health. Paula
is also a university associate at Rice. The couple has three children, Andrew, Jacob and Shelby,
who graduated from Rice in 2023.