Michael Kaufman is Dean of the College of Science at San José State University, where he oversees programs that train students to solve some of the worlds biggest challenges, from wildfire and climate change to equitable access and use of AI. Under his leadership, the college has developed modern, relevant programs including Data Science, Computational Linguistics, and Computational Biology, resulting in more than 30% growth in students majoring in science fields. He is an astrophysicist who has worked with the James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Herschel Space Observatory, and others to advance research on the formation of stars.