Genco named UB’s 16th president

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Caroline Attardo Genco, PhD, provost and senior vice president at Tufts University, has been named the University at Buffalo’s 16th president.

Genco’s appointment, following an international search, was announced June 2 by the SUNY Board of Trustees and SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. after a unanimous vote by the trustees.

Genco’s appointment is effective Aug. 10.

“The State University of New York at Buffalo stands as one of SUNY’s premier research and academic institutions, and I am proud to welcome Dr. Caroline Attardo Genco as its next president,“ King said. “Dr. Genco has built a career as an academic and research leader who strives to provide opportunities for students and faculty.”

As the chief academic officer at Tufts — which, like UB, is a member of the Association of American Universities — Genco oversees its 10 schools and two colleges as well as multiple cross-school programs, centers and institutes. She has led the development of a unified academic strategy; expanded cross-school research and education initiatives; strengthened faculty support through recruitment, mentoring and leadership development; and driven an increase in research funding.

Furthermore, Genco has worked to improve student success, retention and well-being, leading efforts to cultivate a sense of belonging for students, clarify their academic and personal purpose, strengthen foundational academic skills, and bolster and align student health resources, including mental health support.

In addition, Genco has played a key leadership role in institution-wide strategic planning, budget and capital planning, and major fundraising efforts supporting student success, faculty excellence and research innovation.

Central to Genco’s success has been her ability to bring together schools, central units, faculty, staff and students around a shared vision and purpose.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Caroline Attardo Genco as the next president of the State University of New York at Buffalo,” the SUNY Board of Trustees said, adding: “We look forward to working with Dr. Genco to build on the university’s legacy as a driver of academic excellence and innovative research within the SUNY System.”

Genco joins UB as it continues to elevate its stature and national and international reputation as a premier public research university. In recent years, sponsored research funding has risen dramatically, philanthropic giving has reached unprecedented levels and UB’s living-learning landscape has been transformed across its three campuses.

“Thank you to Chairman Merryl H. Tisch and the members of the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chancellor King and UB Council Chairman Jerry Jacobs Jr. for this extraordinary opportunity,” said Genco, who holds the Arthur E. Spiller, M.D., Endowed Professorship in Genetics at Tufts University School of Medicine.

“I would also like to thank President Tripathi for his steadfast leadership over the past 15 years. The University at Buffalo has seen tremendous momentum and, as the next president, I envision an even brighter future that boldly positions UB as a globally engaged, inclusive and innovative community where all students feel welcomed and are supported and successful; where exemplary faculty members are fulfilled because their scholarship and creativity have impact; where staff realize their career goals and aspirations; and where people across the city, region and state talk about the university with pride and ownership.”

Genco is the first woman to lead UB in its 180-year history and the first Buffalo native to lead the university in its modern era. The daughter of immigrants, she was a first-generation college student, earning her bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY Fredonia and her MS and PhD in microbiology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

“Dr. Caroline Attardo Genco stood out in an outstanding group of candidates — a pool that included academicians at the heights of their careers. Our search committee was particularly impressed by Dr. Genco’s prioritization of student and faculty success, her unwavering commitment to integrity and her vision for UB’s bright future,” said Jacobs, chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “The search process and the strength of the field of candidates reinforced that the University at Buffalo is a global destination for excellence, poised to do even greater things under Dr. Genco’s leadership.”

Serving as Tufts’ provost since 2022, Genco previously was the university’s vice provost for research. In this capacity, she led efforts to expand interdisciplinary research, strengthen infrastructure and increase external funding.

From 2015 to 2019, Genco served as the chair of the Department of Immunology at Tufts University School of Medicine, where she continues to hold a tenured professor appointment.

A nationally recognized researcher in microbiology and immunology, Genco has built a distinguished academic career in research, teaching and service. She has fostered collaborations across disciplines including infectious diseases, epidemiology, biomedical engineering and public health. Her research is focused on chronic inflammation and the role of the microbiome in systemic inflammatory disorders.

A prolific author, Genco has published more than 140 articles, and her research program has been continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She has served on numerous NIH scientific advisory committees and other national scientific advisory boards and federal review panels.

Genco has an outstanding record as a teacher and mentor, having trained more than three dozen graduate students and postdoctoral fellows along with numerous undergraduate and professional school students.

Before joining Tufts, Genco was a professor in the departments of medicine and microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine as well as the research director of its Section on Infectious Diseases. She has also held faculty appointments at Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory University.

Genco is a graduate of the prestigious Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program, a year-long part-time fellowship for faculty in schools of medicine, dentistry, public health and pharmacy to develop professional and personal skills required to lead and manage in today’s health care and higher education environments.

Genco succeeds Satish K. Tripathi, who is stepping down after 15 years of distinguished service as UB’s president.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Dr. Caroline Attardo Genco on being named the 16^th president of the University at Buffalo,” Tripathi said. “This remarkable institution has always been defined by its bold vision and profound sense of purpose. I am certain that Dr. Genco will find inspiration in the conviction and commitment of our outstanding scholarly community—as I have throughout my presidential tenure—and I am confident that, under her leadership, the university will continue to build on its extraordinary momentum, advancing our mission of excellence and impact, and shaping UB’s next era of achievement and distinction.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that Genco is the first woman to be named president in UB’s 180-year history and the first Buffalo native to lead the university in its modern era.