Taylor Eighmy

President, University of Texas at San Antonio

Taylor Eighmy is the 6th president of The University of Texas at San Antonio. In addition, Eighmy serves as a member of the UTSA faculty as a professor with appointments in the College of Engineering’s department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the College of Sciences’ department of Environmental Science and Ecology.

As an advocate for urban-serving public higher education, Eighmy is passionate about UTSA’s role in developing San Antonio’s knowledge economy by preparing future leaders and generating new knowledge that changes the world.

Eighmy brings a strong track record of advancing top research universities through strategic government collaborations, public-private partnerships and community engagement. Eighmy’s experiences as an administrative leader, researcher, inventor and professor influenced his perspective as a champion of student success, particularly regarding the impact of experiential learning and undergraduate research programs.

Prior to arriving at UTSA in September 2017, Eighmy served as the chief research officer at three top public flagship universities: the University of New Hampshire, Texas Tech University and, most recently, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

While at the University of Tennessee, Eighmy and colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory directed efforts that resulted in the University of Tennessee’s selection to lead the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, a $259 million public-private partnership supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Eighmy serves on the boards of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU), APLU Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio Medical Foundation, World Affairs Council of San Antonio, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, Conference USA and UP Partnership. He is a member of the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors, the Council on Competitiveness, and an Advisory Trustee of Southwest Research Institute. He currently serves as the Chair of the APLU Commission on International Initiatives, serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas International Education Consortium, and serves on the Council of the National Academies' Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR).

In March of 2019, the San Antonio Business Journal named Eighmy its inaugural Dealmaker of the Year.

Education
Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering - University of New Hampshire
M.S. in Civil Engineering - University of New Hampshire
B.S. in Biology - Tufts University

Distinctions
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellow, National Academy of Inventors
Diplomate, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists
Research Interests
Element speciation, environmental chemistry of leaching behavior, spectroscopic surface analysis, applied geochemistry, reactive barriers, reactive transport modeling, environmental microbiology, biofouling, biofilms, sustainability, carbon sequestration, carbon cycling, and recycled materials.

President Eighmy and his wife Peggy Eighmy have one daughter, Hannah, a pediatric operating nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA. They enjoy fly fishing, hiking, cooking and playing with their three dogs: Finbarr, Albus and Fiona.