University of Colorado at Boulder Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson has been named the sole finalist to become president of Georgia Tech.

Peterson is expected to be named to the top post at the university — formally known as the Georgia Institute of Technology — at an upcoming Board of Regents meeting, but it is unclear how soon that will happen.

Peterson, 56, has served as the top administrator of the Boulder campus, with 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students, since July 2006. The Boulder campus is the flagship of the CU system.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Kansas City, Peterson previously worked for six years as Provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. and a number of positions at Texas A&M University.

He earned three degrees at Kansas State University - a bachelor in mechanical engineering, a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's degree in engineering. Peterson earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M.

"I am humbled to be considered for the post of president of the Georgia Institute of Technology," Peterson said in a press release. "Georgia Tech is a wonderful institution and presents a special opportunity for me and my family."

Georgia Tech is a state school serving about 20,000 students in Atlanta.

The last president, G. Wayne Clough stepped down in July 2008 to take the top post at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Clough had served at Georgia Tech since 1994. The Board of Regents launched a national search that led to the naming of Peterson as sole finalist.