Introduction
Dartmouth College and Mira Murati share a bond that goes far beyond a diploma. She earned her engineering degree there in 2012. Today, she leads Thinking Machines Lab, a company valued at $12 billion. That path started on a small New Hampshire campus. This article looks at the Dartmouth College Mira Murati connection in detail. It covers her studies, her career, and her ongoing ties to her alma mater.
Who Is Mira Murati?
Mira Murati was born in Vlorë, Albania, in 1988. She moved to Canada at 16 for high school. She then enrolled in a dual-degree program. This program combined Colby College and Dartmouth College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Colby in 2011. She earned a Bachelor of Engineering from Dartmouth in 2012.
Her studies focused on mechanical engineering. She built race cars with the Dartmouth Formula Racing team. This hands-on work taught her how machines actually function. That experience later shaped her approach to building AI systems.
Her Path to OpenAI
After graduation, Murati worked at Goldman Sachs as a summer analyst. She then joined Zodiac Aerospace. In 2013, she moved to Tesla. She worked as a product manager on the Model X program.
From 2016 to 2018, she worked at Leap Motion. This startup focused on augmented reality. In June 2018, she joined OpenAI. She started as vice president of Applied AI and Partnerships. She became Chief Technology Officer in May 2022.
As CTO, Murati led major product launches. Her team shipped ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Sora. She also managed OpenAI’s research and safety teams. Fortune ranked her 57th on its list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2023. She briefly served as interim CEO of OpenAI in November 2023 during a leadership crisis.
Murati announced her departure from OpenAI in September 2024. She said she wanted time for personal exploration.
Dartmouth College Honors Mira Murati
Dartmouth College has stayed connected to Mira Murati long after her graduation. In June 2024, she returned to Thayer School of Engineering. She spoke to about 200 attendees at an event called “AI Everywhere.” She discussed how smarter AI systems could also become safer systems.
During her talk, she made a comment about creative jobs. She said some roles might disappear if their output stayed low quality. This remark drew criticism from writers and students on campus.
That same month, Dartmouth honored her further. The college awarded her an honorary Doctor of Science degree. This recognized her contributions to artificial intelligence and engineering. Alexis Abramson, dean of Thayer School, called her one of Dartmouth’s most pioneering alumni.
Life After OpenAI: Thinking Machines Lab
Mira Murati did not stay away from AI for long. In February 2025, she founded Thinking Machines Lab. The company is based in San Francisco. It closed a $2 billion seed round in July 2025. This was the largest seed round in AI history at that time. The round valued the company at $12 billion.
Reports later surfaced that the company sought a $50 billion valuation. Those talks collapsed by January 2026 without a new deal. The company kept its original $12 billion valuation. It now employs roughly 140 to 169 people.
Thinking Machines Lab has landed major infrastructure deals. Nvidia agreed to supply its upcoming chips to the company in March 2026. Google Cloud also became a key partner.
In July 2026, the company released its first public AI model. The model is called Inkling. It processes different types of media and balances cost against performance. Earlier, in May 2026, the company previewed something called “interaction models.” These systems aim to respond in real time, much like a human conversation partner. The target response speed sits near 200 milliseconds.
Why the Dartmouth Connection Still Matters
The link between Dartmouth College and Mira Murati offers a clear lesson. A strong engineering foundation can lead to outsized influence in emerging fields. Her hands-on training at Thayer School gave her practical skills. Those skills later applied directly to building complex AI products.
Dartmouth continues to highlight her story to current students. Her example shows how an engineering degree can open doors far beyond traditional industries. Students exploring computer science or robotics often cite her career as a model to follow.
Conclusion
The story of Dartmouth College Mira Murati shows how strong technical training can shape a global career. She moved from building race cars in a campus lab to leading two major AI companies. Her honorary degree and campus visits confirm that Dartmouth remains proud of her work. Her journey continues to inspire engineering students who dream of shaping new technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Did Mira Murati really attend Dartmouth College? Yes. Mira Murati earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Dartmouth College in 2012. She completed this through a dual-degree program with Colby College.
2. What did Mira Murati study at Dartmouth College? She studied mechanical engineering at Dartmouth College’s Thayer School of Engineering. She also built race cars with the Dartmouth Formula Racing team during her time on campus.
3. Has Mira Murati returned to Dartmouth College since graduating? Yes. Mira Murati returned to Dartmouth College in June 2024 for a public talk on AI safety. Dartmouth College also awarded her an honorary Doctor of Science degree that same month.
4. What is Mira Murati doing now, after leaving OpenAI? She founded Thinking Machines Lab in February 2025. The Dartmouth College graduate now serves as CEO, leading work on real-time AI systems and released her first public model, Inkling, in July 2026.
5. Why is the Dartmouth College Mira Murati story important to engineering students? It shows how a strong engineering background from Dartmouth College can lead to leadership roles in cutting-edge technology. Mira Murati’s path from student to CEO inspires many current engineering majors.