From Sri Lanka to the Stars: Meet Caltech’s Next President, Dr. Ray Jayawardhana
From Sri Lanka to the Stars: Meet Caltech’s Next President, Dr. Ray Jayawardhana
The scientific world is buzzing with the news that Dr. Ray Jayawardhana, currently the Provost of Johns Hopkins University, has been named the next President of Caltech.
The scientific world is buzzing with the news that Dr. Ray Jayawardhana, currently the Provost of Johns Hopkins University, has been named the next President of Caltech.
On July 1, he will step into one of the most prestigious roles in global academia, leading the institution that manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Roots & Lineage: A Childhood Spark
Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Ray’s journey began not in a high-tech lab, but under the vast night skies of his island home.
Roots & Lineage: A Childhood Spark
Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Ray’s journey began not in a high-tech lab, but under the vast night skies of his island home.
He often recounts walking with his father as a young boy, gazing at the moon and stars—a simple ritual that sparked a lifelong obsession with the cosmos.
Early Ambition: As a 17-year-old in Colombo, he launched a successful one-man campaign to have Sri Lanka issue a postage stamp commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Moon landing.
Education: He attended St. John’s College and Royal College in Colombo before moving to the U.S. to pursue his dreams.
Educational Excellence
Dr. Jayawardhana’s academic pedigree is a "Who’s Who" of Ivy League excellence:
Yale University: Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Physics (1994).
Harvard University: Ph.D. in Astronomy (2000), where his doctoral thesis explored the origins of planetary systems.
UC Berkeley: Served as a prestigious Miller Research Fellow.
Why Dr. Jayawardhana? The Path to the Presidency
Caltech chose "RayJay" (as he is known in the community) for his rare "triple-threat" capability:
Pioneering Scientist: He led the team that discovered the first direct image of a planet around a normal star and is a core team member for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Proven Administrator: He has managed massive academic portfolios as the Provost of Johns Hopkins and previously as the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University.
Compelling Communicator: Unlike many "cloistered" academics, he is a master at making complex science accessible to the public.
Contributions to Science
Dr. Jayawardhana has authored over 180 refereed papers with more than 10,000 citations.
His primary research focuses on:
Exoplanets: Characterizing atmospheres of worlds beyond our solar system.
Brown Dwarfs: Investigating "failed stars" and how they form.
Star Formation: Using the world's largest telescopes in Hawaii, Chile, and space to study the birth of solar systems.
Interesting Facts & "Cosmic" Trivia
The Asteroid "Rayjay": He literally has a place in the stars—Main-belt asteroid (4668) Rayjay is named in his honor.
Award-Winning Author: He has written popular books like Strange New Worlds and Neutrino Hunters, as well as a beautiful children’s book, Child of the Universe.
Adventurer: He has visited more than 55 countries and all seven continents, including a 37-night expedition to collect meteorites in Antarctica.
Science Writing: Before his research career took off, he worked as a science journalist for The Economist.
The Caltech Vision
As he prepares to take the helm, Dr. Jayawardhana aims to "steward curiosity at scale." His appointment marks a historic moment for Caltech as it continues to push the boundaries of what is possible—from the depths of the Earth to the edge of the observable universe.
Early Ambition: As a 17-year-old in Colombo, he launched a successful one-man campaign to have Sri Lanka issue a postage stamp commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Moon landing.
Education: He attended St. John’s College and Royal College in Colombo before moving to the U.S. to pursue his dreams.
Educational Excellence
Dr. Jayawardhana’s academic pedigree is a "Who’s Who" of Ivy League excellence:
Yale University: Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Physics (1994).
Harvard University: Ph.D. in Astronomy (2000), where his doctoral thesis explored the origins of planetary systems.
UC Berkeley: Served as a prestigious Miller Research Fellow.
Why Dr. Jayawardhana? The Path to the Presidency
Caltech chose "RayJay" (as he is known in the community) for his rare "triple-threat" capability:
Pioneering Scientist: He led the team that discovered the first direct image of a planet around a normal star and is a core team member for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Proven Administrator: He has managed massive academic portfolios as the Provost of Johns Hopkins and previously as the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University.
Compelling Communicator: Unlike many "cloistered" academics, he is a master at making complex science accessible to the public.
Contributions to Science
Dr. Jayawardhana has authored over 180 refereed papers with more than 10,000 citations.
His primary research focuses on:
Exoplanets: Characterizing atmospheres of worlds beyond our solar system.
Brown Dwarfs: Investigating "failed stars" and how they form.
Star Formation: Using the world's largest telescopes in Hawaii, Chile, and space to study the birth of solar systems.
Interesting Facts & "Cosmic" Trivia
The Asteroid "Rayjay": He literally has a place in the stars—Main-belt asteroid (4668) Rayjay is named in his honor.
Award-Winning Author: He has written popular books like Strange New Worlds and Neutrino Hunters, as well as a beautiful children’s book, Child of the Universe.
Adventurer: He has visited more than 55 countries and all seven continents, including a 37-night expedition to collect meteorites in Antarctica.
Science Writing: Before his research career took off, he worked as a science journalist for The Economist.
The Caltech Vision
As he prepares to take the helm, Dr. Jayawardhana aims to "steward curiosity at scale." His appointment marks a historic moment for Caltech as it continues to push the boundaries of what is possible—from the depths of the Earth to the edge of the observable universe.
Comments