As an MIT professor, Gray specialized in researching and teaching
semiconductor electronics and
circuit theory. In 1969, he co-authored
Electronic principles: Physics, models, and circuits, which became a standard textbook on fundamental principles of
solid-state electronics technology. Gray rapidly rose through the MIT administration, serving as associate dean for student affairs (1965–1967), associate provost (1969–1970), and then dean of the
School of Engineering (1970–1971). Under MIT president
Jerome Wiesner, Gray served as chancellor (1971–1980). From 1980 to 1990, he served as president of MIT, and then as chairman of the MIT Corporation (1990–1997). At MIT, Gray is credited with helping to establish the
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), the
Leaders for Manufacturing program, and the ongoing affiliation with the
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He led the Task Force on Educational Opportunity (1968–1973), and encouraged undergraduate curriculum reforms in the 1980s that strengthened the humanities, social sciences, and biology. He was a member of the Council's Panel on the Health of Universities, and was also vice chairman of the Council on Competitiveness. ==Bibliography==