Alcoa has elected Rafael Reif, President of the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to its Board of Directors.
“In addition to leading one of the world’s most acclaimed academic institutions, Dr Reif is a respected international authority on innovative material science and advanced manufacturing technologies,” said Alcoa Chairman and CEO, Klaus Kleinfeld.
“His expertise and counsel will be invaluable as Alcoa invests in digitization, automation and robotics to enhance the competitiveness of our expanding multi-material, value-add business portfolio.”
Dr Reif, at the request of the White House, also served as co-chair of the steering committee of the national Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP 2.0), an effort to secure US leadership in emerging technologies.
He also launched the MIT Innovation Initiative to enhance MIT's own innovation ecosystem and foster education, research and policy; and recently began work on MIT.nano, a new facility on the campus that will accelerate research and innovation at the nanoscale.
At 63, Dr Reif is the inventor or co-inventor on 15 patents. In 1993, he was named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and in 2000 he received the Aristotle Award from the Semiconductor Research Corporation. He is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Dr Reif holds a doctorate and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and received his bachelor's of science degree from Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela.