August 16, 2021 – Present
Richard McCullough became the 16th president of Florida State University in August 2021, bringing more than three decades of academic leadership experience to the role. During his tenure, he has strengthened FSU’s foundation as one of the nation’s top public universities by investing in student and faculty success as well as academic and research excellence.
Since assuming the presidency, McCullough has recruited world-class faculty, staff, and administrators; grown the university’s research portfolio; implemented a new structure to encourage entrepreneurial endeavors among students and faculty; cultivated relationships with elected officials and community leaders; enhanced fundraising efforts; and championed athletic success.
Under McCullough’s leadership, Florida State University launched FSU Health — one of the most ambitious projects in the university’s history — with a goal to improve health and health care throughout the region. FSU Health was initiated by a generous $125 million investment from the Florida Legislature to build a facility in Tallahassee, representing an academic health model combining education, research, and quality clinical delivery. Additional targeted investments have been secured to establish the
Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases and Sunshine Genetics, groundbreaking initiatives that position Florida as a national leader in improving the lives of children and families affected by devastating rare diseases.
McCullough has committed to expanding FSU’s impact and presence across Northwest Florida. FSU was awarded $98.4 million from the Triumph Gulf Coast Board to launch InSPIRE, a state-of-the-art facility and dynamic consortium that unites partners from industry, economic development, government, and academia to drive regional economic prosperity, provide leadership in U.S. manufacturing and aerospace, and promote national security.
McCullough also led efforts to secure record levels of support from the Florida Legislature, increase research expenditures to a record high of $461 million annually, invest more than $100 million into the emerging field of quantum science and engineering, streamline the process of moving research to the market, and broaden funding opportunities from the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida to support the FSU-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory — the largest and highest-powered magnet laboratory in the world and the only one of its kind in the United States.
He also expanded scholarships and programs for honors and first-generation students and implemented a comprehensive strategy that has led to record student retention and graduation rates that are among the best in the country, as well as student debt levels that are among the nation’s lowest.
In addition, McCullough has overseen major capital projects, including the opening of the new Student Union, completion of the Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building, and the construction of Legacy Hall — the new home of the College of Business and the largest academic space on the Tallahassee campus.
McCullough also was a national leader advocating significant reform in collegiate athletics, championing reforms that enhance student-athlete experiences, promote financial equity, and strengthen institutional competitiveness. He made major investments in athletics facilities, including stadium renovations and the construction of the Dunlap Football Center, and launched women’s lacrosse — FSU’s 21st varsity sport. During McCullough’s presidency, FSU teams captured 16 conference championships and two national titles, while student-athletes across all sports achieved the highest cumulative GPA in university history.
Before joining FSU, McCullough served as vice provost for research for 10 years and professor of materials science and engineering at Harvard University. He previously spent 22 years at Carnegie Mellon University, where he began his academic career as an assistant professor of chemistry and rose through the ranks to become the Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry. He also served as the head of chemistry, the dean of science and the university’s vice president for research.
McCullough is a first-generation college student who attended Eastfield Community College and subsequently earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Texas at Dallas and a doctoral degree in organic chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University.
He has more than 110 publications, holds 16 U.S. patents, and is an entrepreneur who started two companies. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and was inducted into the Advanced Materials Journal Hall of Fame in 2021, and the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame and the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida, both in 2025. He also is the recipient of the Carnegie Science Center Award for Excellence as a Start-Up Entrepreneur.
McCullough and his wife, Jai Vartikar, have two sons and three granddaughters.