Dan Jaffe, vice president for research, will serve as interim vice president and provost starting May 18, UT President Gregory Fenves announced in a campuswide email Thursday.

Jaffe will be taking over for Provost Maurie McInnis, who is leaving UT to become president of Stony Brook University on May 15.

Alison Preston, director of UT’s Biomedical Imaging Center and a faculty member in the departments of psychology and neuroscience, will serve as interim vice president for research. Fenves said Jaffe will return to his role as vice president for research after a new vice president and provost has been found.

“Dan has provided exceptional leadership as we have transitioned to online learning this semester, and he will continue to do so when we begin our return to normal operations later this year,” Fenves said in the email. “He has a deep understanding of UT Austin’s academic operations and has worked closely with deans, campus leaders and many faculty members."