Santa Jeremy Ono FCAHS (Japanese: 小野 三太; born November 23, 1962)[1] is a Canadian-American immunologist and academic administrator who has been serving as the 15th president of the University of Michigan since October 2022.

[3] Previously a faculty member at University College London, Ono contributed to the field of gene regulation in the immune system and to the understanding of inflammation in the eye.

[8] Ono's research reported that immune-related genes are more active in insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, which could affect diabetes risk.

[11] The lab also identified potential biomarkers for tracking age-related macular degeneration and studied how HMGA protein mutations could lead to fat tumors and obesity in mice.

[13] From 2006 to 2010, Ono served as senior vice provost for undergraduate education and academic affairs at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

[32] During Ono's tenure, the university hosted multiple controversial speakers promoting white supremacist, Islamophobic, and neo-Nazi movements, often invited by student groups with extreme views.

[41] Ono's inauguration ceremony on March 7, 2023 as president of the University of Michigan,[42] was marked both by protests from the Graduate Employees' Organization [43] and administrators' insistence that students write and perform poetry praising his leadership style.

On March 29, 2023 — 22 days into his presidency — Ono led the University of Michigan into what became the longest labor strike in the institution's history.

[45] Ono responded to the strike by seeking but failing to win an injunction against GEO membership,[46] with his administrators claiming in court that strikers were causing "irreparable harm to the university.

"[47] When Ono was challenged by union members in a downtown restaurant on April 20, he called police to arrest and handcuff the protesters — off campus.

[51] The strike officially ended five months later in August 25, 2023 when the university agreed to almost all of the strikers' demands, and a 97 percent majority of GEO members ratified the contract.

[53] On October 13 afternoon, around 300 University of Michigan students and community members protested outside the President’s House, objecting to Ono’s statement, which they felt ignored Palestinian suffering.

[57][58][59] On April 30, 2024, United States Representative Virginia Foxx called Santa Ono to a congressional hearing scheduled for May 23 on "antisemitic college chaos".

[60][61] On May 21, Ono cited fire safety reasons and sent police to clear the pro-Palestinian encampment on The Diag in front of the Hatcher Graduate Library.

[71]Ono wrote articles on research and innovation,[72] college rankings,[73] healthcare,[74] STEM education,[75] diversity,[75] social media,[76] and more.