Former University of Michigan President Santa Ono has landed a new job as global president of a research institute founded by software mogul Larry Ellison.
Ono will lead the Ellison Institute of Technology, which has branches in Los Angeles and Oxford, England.
"A key part of President Ono’s responsibilities will include working with Sir John Bell, the President of EIT Oxford, in developing and expanding the science programs at EIT’s Oxford Campus," the institute said in statement Monday on its website.
Bell said he's known Ono for more than 20 years and looks forward to working with him. Ono, whose academic specialty is in immune system and eye disease research, said he's honored by the appointment.
"I look forward to collaborating with EIT’s leadership teams worldwide to advance Larry Ellison’s bold vision," Ono said in a statement. "I believe this innovative approach represents the most exciting investment in fundamental and applied research globally, and I am thrilled to be part of this collective effort to create solutions to humanity’s most pressing challenges.”
The institute targets research in four areas: health, sustainable agriculture, clean energy and artificial intelligence and robotics. It was launched in 2016 with a $200 million gift from Ellison, a co-founder of the software giant Oracle Corp. Ellison's net worth is estimated at $294 billion, according to Forbes.
Ellison welcomed Ono to the institute.
"President Ono’s distinguished scientific background, plus his extensive operational experience running the University of Michigan, has prepared him to be an exceptional leader for the Institute," Ellison said in a statement.
The announcement comes about three months after Ono's abrupt departure from academia.
Ono announced in May that he was leaving U-M after less than three years on the job, when he was named sole finalist for the presidency of the University of Florida. The board that runs the State University System of Florida ultimately rejected Ono's nomination in June, after some board members worried aloud that Ono was too liberal because of his past support for things like diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at U-M.
Ono's tenure at U-M was marked by a series of crises, including the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, a strike by graduate students, a football cheating scandal and a series of Gaza War protests and the school's response to them.
Contact John Wisely: [email protected]. On X: @jwisely
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former U-M President Santa Ono lands new job
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