Ángel Cabrera is the 12th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, one of America’s leading research universities, which serves more than 56,000 students and conducts more than $1.4 billion in annual sponsored research.

Since Cabrera’s arrival in the fall of 2019, enrollment has grown to an all-time high, admission applications have set Institute and state records, and the undergraduate program became the third most-selective among public universities in the United States. Offering best-in-class graduation rates and career outcomes, coupled with lower tuition and fees than most other leading research universities, Georgia Tech is consistently recognized for offering one of the best returns on investment for students. 

Georgia Tech’s research enterprise has also experienced considerable growth since 2019. With more than $1.4 billion in annual research expenditures, the Institute ranks among the top 20 most research-intensive universities in the nation and is No. 1 among institutions without a medical school. 

Georgia Tech’s unprecedented growth stems from a 10-year strategic plan that was developed under Cabrera’s leadership with the participation of more than 5,700 members of the Institute community and adopted in November 2020. In the plan, titled “Progress and Service for All,” Georgia Tech pledges to amplify its impact and lead by example in a mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. 

During Cabrera’s presidency, Georgia Tech has continued to build on two decades of progress in transforming the neighborhoods surrounding its campus into thriving centers of innovation and entrepreneurship. With the goal of creating a national hub spanning technology, medicine, and the creative industries, the Institute has pursued this vision through three signature developments: Tech Square, Science Square, and Creative Quarter. 

In 2024, Georgia Tech opened the first phase of Science Square, a new district on Atlanta’s westside dedicated to medical technology research and innovation. In 2025, Cabrera announced the launch of Creative Quarter, a forthcoming mixed-use development that will support work at the intersection of technology, art, and entertainment. With the opening of the George and Scheller Towers in 2026, the Institute will complete the third and final phase of Tech Square, one of the nation’s premier innovation districts that first broke ground in 2021. Together, these projects are expanding Georgia Tech’s footprint through tailor-made districts designed to accelerate technological development and commercial activity and to multiply the Institute’s impact throughout the city and state.

Cabrera came to Georgia Tech after serving for seven years as president of George Mason University (GMU) in Virginia. During his presidency, GMU joined the top tier of research universities in the Carnegie Classification, became the largest and fastest-growing institution in the state, launched numerous academic and research programs, and established a campus in South Korea. Before GMU, Cabrera was president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management (now part of Arizona State University) and dean of IE Business School in Madrid.

Cabrera serves on the boards of the National Geographic Society, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Bankinter Innovation Foundation, and he is a member of the Harvard College Visiting Committee, Atlanta Committee for Progress, and American Talent Initiative Steering Committee. He has served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the advisory boards of Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey and Georgia Tech (which he chaired), and the boards of three public companies.

Cabrera earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology and cognitive science from Georgia Tech, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He also holds a B.S. and an M.S. in computer and electrical engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. 

He is married to management scholar and Georgia Tech classmate, Elizabeth. Their son, Alex, is a graduate of Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon University, and their daughter, Emilia, is a graduate of Harvard University. Cabrera is the first native of Spain to serve as president of an American university.

You can follow President Cabrera on Twitter @CabreraAngel.

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