Santa Fe Institute Announces New President

SANTA FE, N.M., July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Santa Fe Institute announced today the appointment of Dr. Jeremy Sabloff, as its new president to succeed Dr. Geoffrey West. West is stepping down after four years as president and will return to his position as an SFI Distinguished Professor. Sabloff will join the Institute August 1 to lead SFI's cutting-edge research community as it celebrates its 25th Anniversary.

Sabloff is an eminent archeologist known for his discoveries on prehistoric settlement patterns, pre-industrial cities, and ancient Maya civilization. His contributions to archaeological theory and method provide a strong link to the research at SFI, which focuses on uncovering the fundamental scientific principles that govern physical, living, and social systems. He has also been an active proponent for the advancement of science in his field and beyond. He served as Chairman of the Smithsonian Institution Science Commission, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

"We are delighted Jerry has accepted our offer," says Bill Miller, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Legg Mason Capital Management and Chairman of SFI's Board of Trustees. "We need a broad and deep intellectual to build SFI's scientific footprint and Jerry uniquely combines an understanding of our multidisciplinary science with executive level administrative and fundraising experience," he said. In addition to leading numerous field expeditions and research teams, Sabloff recently completed a ten-year term as the Williams Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology (1994-2004 and Interim Director, 2006-2007).

President West will return to full-time research to continue his ground-breaking work in biological scaling and it implications for predictive theories across biology. He is particularly excited about recent extensions of these ideas in cities and corporations as a means to think about a more holistic framework for sustainability.

During his tenure as president West was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2006 and became a much sought-after international speaker participating in numerous leadership events such as the World Economic Forum. The institute thrived under West, more than doubling scientific activity, increasing the size of the faculty and raising $40 million in a capital campaign. West holds his successor in very high regard and says, "I am so pleased to turn the reigns over to such a distinguished and accomplished scientist knowing that Jerry will both build SFI's scientific leadership position and broaden our base of financial support."

As the founding institution of what is now known as "complexity science" and a leader in multidisciplinary research, the institute continues to blaze new scientific ground. Among current research initiatives are a multi-institute collaboration on the origins of life, dynamics of conflict and cooperation, understanding systemic financial risk and biological inspirations for network and computing evolvability. Miller explains, "some of the work at SFI is beyond what a lay person can immediately appreciate but history tells us that investing in answering the big questions can yield impressive rewards." He continues, "Geoffrey's work on city size and growth expanding from his work on scaling in biological systems, is an excellent example of how deep theoretical insights can help us understand present day phenomena and provide insights useful in solving real world problems."

For more information:

www.santafe.edu

www.santafe.edu/about/press-kit.php