Chancellor Gary S. May is a highly engaged leader with a passion for helping others succeed. He believes success is best judged by how we enhance the lives of others.

Throughout his career, he’s championed diversity, equity and inclusion in both higher education and the workplace. He developed nationally recognized programs that attract, mentor and retain underrepresented groups in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. In 2015, President Obama honored him with the Presidential Award for Excellence in STEM Mentoring.

May earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science at UC Berkeley. He was inducted to the National Academy of Engineering in 2018. In 2020, May was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences under the classification of “educational and academic leadership.” In 2021, May was awarded a Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an honorary doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

A prominent voice in higher education, May is a Commissioner of the Council on Competitiveness and other national committees.

His vision as UC Davis’ seventh chancellor is to lead the university to new heights in academic excellence, inclusion, public service and upward mobility for students from all backgrounds.