Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Central Board Member Noubar Afeyan was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), AGBU said in a press release.

Afeyan, along with the nine other term members elected this year, will serve for five years, effective July 1. Afeyan will add his expertise to the 76 distinguished leaders in education, science, engineering, and industry already serving the MIT Board of Trustees.

Afeyan, who was elected to the AGBU Central Board of Directors in 2012, earned his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from MIT, and has authored numerous scientific publications and patents. He is the founder and CEO of Flagship Ventures, a leading early-stage, life-science venture firm managing funds exceeding $1.4 billion. In his 30-year career, Afeyan has co-founded more than 38 life-science and technology startups, and is currently director or chair of several private and public company boards. Additionally, he co-founded the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, the UWC Dilijan International School, the Noubar and Anna Afeyan Foundation, and the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. He also served as chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Chemicals and Biotechnology and its Emerging Technologies Council. Since 2000, Afeyan has been a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Established in 1906, the AGBU is the world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, the AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians around the world.