Ricardo Rosselló, PhD
Ricardo Rosselló has spent his career at the intersection of science, public service, and systems design — first as a biomedical engineer and stem-cell researcher, then as the 12th Governor of Puerto Rico, now as a U.S. Congressional Delegate and co-founder of The Incentives Lab, where he translates Incentive Intelligence™ into the policies and institutions that govern public life.
A scientist who became a governor — and a governor who returned to systems.
Ricardo Rosselló is a scientist and public servant trained at MIT and the University of Michigan, with post-doctoral research at Duke. He has spent his career translating systems thinking into the institutions that govern public life.
At 37, he became the 12th Governor of Puerto Rico and led the island through Hurricane María and the largest reconstruction in its modern history, advancing reforms in health, energy, education, and anti-corruption.
Today he serves as U.S. Congressional Delegate for Puerto Rico and as Co-Founder of The Incentives Lab, bringing a statesman’s lens to Incentive Intelligence™ and the incentives that shape policy and infrastructure.
From the laboratory to the governor's office to The Incentives Lab.
- MITChemical & Biomedical Engineering
Earned a BA in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his interest in systems, biology, and engineering took shape.
- PhD · Post-docMichigan doctorate and Duke stem-cell research
Earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology from the University of Michigan, then completed post-doctoral research at Duke University focused on reprogramming stem cells.
- Public serviceElected 12th Governor of Puerto Rico
Took office in 2017 at age 37 as the youngest governor in the United States at the time, advancing a statehood platform and reforms to eliminate graft and corruption in government contracts.
- 2017–2019Hurricane María response and recovery
Led the executive response to the most devastating natural disaster in Puerto Rico's modern history — coordinating federal partners, restoring critical infrastructure, and launching the largest reconstruction effort the island had ever seen.
- Science & enterpriseRMI Health, Beijing Prosperous Biopharm, and academia
Serves as Chief Visionary Officer of the Regenerative Medicine Institute (RMI Health), co-founded Beijing Prosperous Biopharm, and is an adjunct professor at George Mason University.
- AuthorThe Reformer's Dilemma and the Need for a Radical Middle
Writes on governance, democratic reform, and the institutional incentives that shape public outcomes — applying scientific rigor to the politics of progress.
- TodayU.S. Congressional Delegate and Co-Founder of The Incentives Lab
Elected through an unprecedented write-in campaign, he now represents Puerto Rico in Congress while bringing a statesman's lens to Incentive Intelligence™ — translating the discipline into policy, infrastructure, and the operating systems of public life.
Where Ricardo's work shows up in the Lab.
Bring Incentive Intelligence to your institution.
Whether you lead a company, a public agency, or a jurisdiction, institutional outcomes are downstream of incentive design. Engage the Lab to diagnose, redesign, and operate the systems that govern your people, capital, and policy.