Cynthia Barnhart (born 1959) is an American civil engineer and academic who has been serving as provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since March 2022.
[1] Barnhart became a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2010 for professional leadership and contributions to optimization and transportation models, algorithms, and applications.
[2] From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she received a Master of Science in transportation in 1985 and a Doctor of Philosophy in civil engineering in 1988.
[5] She was appointed as the 6th[6] Chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014, succeeding W. Eric Grimson, a professor of Computer Science and Engineering.
On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Barnhart will step down from her role as Chancellor on July 1, 2021, at which time she will return to research and teaching activities as a faculty member.