Tripathi was raised in the village of Patna Mubarakpur in Uttar Pradesh India and graduated at the top of his class from Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
[5] Coming to the United States in 1978, Tripathi joined the faculty of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where his 19-year tenure included serving as chair from 1988-95.
He also oversaw the development of innovative “living-learning environments” constructed as part of “Building UB,” the university’s comprehensive physical plan.
He signed a memorandum of understanding in 2005 with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to establish the Indo-U.S. Inter-University Collaborative Initiative in Higher Education and Research, which has led to a significant partnership between UB and Amrita University.
Tripathi was one of the principal creators of the UB 2020 long-range academic plan, and has led the university to achieve significant growth in research and scholarly activity, enhanced student quality and diversity, and an expanded international presence.
Within his first year as president, the university celebrated a number of major milestones, including the passage of the NYSUNY 2020 legislation that led to historic reforms for UB and the SUNY system of public higher education as a whole.
Since Tripathi assumed the presidency in 2011, the university has also opened six major building projects on its three campuses—including the new $375 million building for the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus that is positioned as the hub of a thriving life sciences community in Buffalo—and celebrated a $40 million bequest that is the largest gift in university history.