Dr. Cohon was elected president of Carnegie Mellon University in 1997 and was also appointed Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Professor of Engineering and Public Policy. Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Cohon was Dean and Professor of Environmental Systems Analysis in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. Previously, he was a professor of Geography and Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, where he also served as Vice Provost for Research from 1986 to 1992, Associate Dean of Engineering from 1983 to 1986, and Assistant Dean of Engineering from 1981 to 1983. In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Cohon to serve on his Homeland Security Advisory Council. In 2006, Dr. Cohon was appointed chair of the Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. He is a director of Mellon Financial Services Corporation.