Keeril Makan Appointed as MIT’s Vice Provost for the Arts

Keeril Makan, a distinguished composer and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has been appointed as the Institute's new vice provost for the arts, effective February 1. In a move reflecting the university's longstanding commitment to interdisciplinary innovation, Makan will lead efforts to further embed the arts across MIT’s research, educational, and community landscape.

The announcement, made by MIT Provost Anantha Chandrakasan, highlights Makan's extensive record as both an acclaimed artist and an adept administrative leader. Makan’s appointment comes shortly after MIT published its Future of the Arts at MIT Committee report, which called for a deeper integration of artistic practice and technological enterprise at the university.

As vice provost, Makan is tasked with providing strategic direction for arts-related initiatives across MIT. He will collaborate with a broad array of stakeholders, including academic leaders, the MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology, the MIT Museum, the List Visual Arts Center, and the Council for the Arts at MIT. Makan aims to foster public engagement, strengthen connections between disciplines, and broaden the visibility of artistic work throughout the institution.

"At MIT, the arts are a vital way of thinking, making, and convening," Makan commented. He emphasized his intention to support existing artistic excellence at MIT, while engaging with students, faculty, and staff to shape future priorities for the arts within the Institute’s distinctive context.

Makan’s early focus will involve listening and learning within MIT’s diverse arts ecosystem, informed by recommendations from the recent committee report. His leadership is poised to prioritize collaboration and interdisciplinary exploration—an area where MIT has previously distinguished itself, particularly by marrying advances in science and engineering with creative experimentation.

Since joining MIT in 2006, Makan has played a series of pivotal roles. He most recently served as associate dean for strategic initiatives in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), where he helped steer the school through fiscal challenges and led campus-wide strategic efforts. His tenure as head of the Music and Theater Arts Section contributed to the launch of a multidisciplinary graduate programme in music technology and computation, a testament to his commitment to blending technology and the arts.

Makan was also instrumental in developing MIT’s new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building, a cutting-edge facility that opened in 2025. He chaired a working group on the creation of a new center for the humanities, which evolved into the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC)—a strategic institute-wide initiative now supporting human-centered research and teaching. Under Makan’s stewardship, MITHIC has supported 56 projects with €4.7 million in funding across the university.

Recognized for his work as a composer, Makan is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Luciano Berio Rome Prize. His music has been recorded and performed by renowned ensembles, and his opera “Persona” has graced important cultural stages in the United States, earning critical acclaim.

With his dual background in artistic innovation and academic leadership, Makan succeeds Philip Khoury, who served as vice provost for the arts since 2006. Professor Khoury will return to the MIT faculty following a sabbatical.

Makan’s appointment marks a strategic moment for MIT, as the Institute seeks to reinforce the place of the arts in an era of rapid technological change—a move that resonates with similar trends in European universities aiming to bridge STEM disciplines with creative and cultural inquiry. By centering the arts within the scientific community, MIT affirms the importance of interdisciplinary approaches that underpin innovation in both technology and society.

For further information, see the official announcement at MIT News.