ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Institute of Technology has a new president. Dr. William Sanders, the university’s 11th president, took office on Tuesday.

Sanders comes from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he served as the dean of engineering. Before that, he spent 25 years as a professor at the University of Illinois. He’s a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Sanders takes over at a time of uncertainty, with research funding being pulled from many academic institutions across the country. As News10NBC has covered, a summer research program for RIT undergraduate students that’s been going on for nearly a decade lost its funding, following cuts to the National Science Foundation. 

Many universities have also been impacted by funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest public funder of medical research. However, after a judge’s ruling, millions of dollars in grants are expected to be restored, including in New York State.

News10NBC spoke to Sanders back in January, who said he’s monitoring how federal policies will impact students, staff, and research.