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Sethuraman Panchanathan

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Sethuraman Panchanathan
Panchanathan in 2020
15th Director of the National Science Foundation
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 23, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Donald Trump
Preceded byKelvin Droegemeier (acting)
France A. Córdova
Personal details
BornChennai, India
SpouseSoumya Panchanathan
EducationUniversity of Madras (BS)
Indian Institute of Science (BEng)
Indian Institute of Technology (MTech)
University of Ottawa (PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsElectrical engineering
Computer engineering
Informatics
InstitutionsUniversity of Ottawa
Arizona State University
ThesisAlgorithms and architectures for image coding using vector quantization (1989)
Doctoral advisorMorris Goldberg

Sethuraman Panchanathan is an Indian–American computer scientist and academic administrator, and, since June 2020, the 15th Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation.[1] Panchanathan is a national leader in science, engineering, and education with more than three decades of experience in higher education and government. Designed and built knowledge enterprises to advance research, innovation, academic programs, strategic partnerships, entrepreneurship, global engagement, societal and economic development.

He previously served at Arizona State University as executive vice president of knowledge enterprise development and chief research and innovation officer. He was also director of the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC), Foundation Chair of Computing and Informatics at the university, and a professor in the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering (CIDSE), part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.[2]

Early life and education

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Panchanathan was born and raised in Chennai in India.[3] He attended the Vivekananda College (University of Madras), graduating in 1981 with a B.Sc. in physics.[4] Subsequently, in 1984, he earned a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India.[5]

In 1986, he completed his M.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He later enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Ottawa in Canada and received his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in 1989[6] while working under the direction of Morris Goldberg.[7]

Career

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University of Ottawa

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In 1989, Panchanathan was hired by the University of Ottawa as an assistant professor and was later promoted to associate professor in 1994 after receiving tenure.[8]

Arizona State University

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In 1997, Panchanathan was hired as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.[9] In 2001, he was promoted to full professor and founded the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC),[10] which is focused on designing technologies and devices for assisting individuals with disabilities. In the same year, Panchanathan was elevated to IEEE fellow for contributions to compressed domain processing and indexing in visual computing and communications.[11] He also founded and led the School of Computing and Informatics (2006-2009) and the Department of Biomedical Informatics (2005-2007).[10]

Panchanathan was appointed as the university's chief research officer in 2009, where he was responsible for conceptualizing and building large interdisciplinary initiatives at ASU.[12] In 2011, he was promoted to senior vice president of the university's Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development, responsible for the advancement of research, entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development activities.[13]

In 2016, Panchanathan was promoted to executive vice president of ASU Knowledge Enterprise Development and chief research and innovation officer at the university. In this role, Dr. Panchanathan leads the advancement of research, innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate engagement and strategic partnerships, and international development. Under his leadership, ASU's research has grown exponentially, with annual research expenditures quadrupling to more than half a billion dollars over the past 15 years. Continuing on its path as a rapidly growing research enterprise, Arizona State University reported $635 million in research expenditures for fiscal year 2018, up from $545 million in FY17, according to a recent[when?] report by the U.S. National Science Foundation. At that time, ASU was holding its rank at No. 44 for total research expenditures in the U.S., remaining ahead of the California Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago. Among institutions without a medical school, ASU ranked No. 8, ahead of Princeton University and Carnegie Mellon University.[14] In a 2017 Brazilian Congress of Industry Innovation panel discussion, Panchanathan highlighted how universities like ASU ought to work hand-in-hand with businesses to create curriculum that fosters the entrepreneurial traits employers look for today, in order to produce a future of innovation ecosystems.[15] On October 22, 2019, Panchanathan testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Science, Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather in a hearing titled, "Research and Innovation: Ensuring America's Economic and Strategic Leadership," examining the role that research and innovation play in ensuring U.S. leadership in the global economy.[16]

U.S. National Science Foundation

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On June 13, 2014, Panchanathan was nominated by President Barack Obama as a member of the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation.[17] On December 19, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Panchanathan and subsequently, he was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 18, 2020. NSF is a $9.06 billion independent federal agency and the only government agency charged with advancing all fields of scientific discovery, technological innovation and STEM education.[18][19]

On June 18, 2020, he was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate as the 15th Director of the National Science Foundation.He assumed office on June 23, 2020.[3]

In 2022, the Director announced the Technology, Innovation and Partnership (TIP)s directorate — NSF's first new directorate in more than 30 years.[20] The establishment of TIP is to deliver “Innovation Everywhere for Everyone” by accelerating the translation of science and technology for economic progress, national security, and societal impact. Several new programs were also launched including the Regional Innovation Engines (RIE) to expand the geography of place-based innovation.

Research

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Dr. Panchanathan presenting at TEDxASU in Tempe (2017)

Panchanathan's research interests include Human-centered Multimedia Computing (HCMC),[21] assistive and rehabilitative technologies,[22] haptic user interfaces, face/gait analysis and recognition, medical image processing, media processor designs and ubiquitous computing environments for enhancing quality of life for individuals with disabilities.[23] He also mentored over 100 students and scholars, which include graduate students, post-docs, research engineers and research scientists.[24] He spoke on the importance of fostering a culture of innovation to solve grand challenges that society faces today in a 2017 TEDxASU presentation.[25]

Personal life

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Panchanathan is married to Dr. Sarada "Soumya" Panchanathan, an academic pediatrician and informatician, who has taught medical students, pediatric residents and informatics fellows.[26] Together, they have two children and three grandchildren.[2]

Awards, appointments and fellowships

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  • Governor's Innovator of the Year for Academia Award: Governor's Celebration of Innovation Awards for iCARE (Information Technology Centric Assistive and Rehabilitative Environments) for Individuals who are Blind and Visually Impaired, Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing, 2004.[27]
  • Microsoft Imagine Cup: World Finals in Touch and Tablet category for CUbiC iCARE Note-Taker Project, Warsaw, Poland, 2010.[28]
  • 20 People to Know in Arizona Education: Listed by Phoenix Business Journal, 2017.[29]
  • COO of the Year: Recognized by Phoenix Business Journal, 2017.[30]
  • Distinguished Alumnus Awards:
  • Advisor for Science and Technology to the Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, 2018.[32]
  • Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Membership: National Academy of Inventors’ Board of Directors, 2018.[33]
  • Board Appointments:
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science: Awarded by Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, May 5, 2024.[36]
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India, August 2021.
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, SRM University, AP- Andhra Pradesh, India, December 2021.
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), India, August 2022.
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2022.
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Vermont, May 2023.
  • Honorary Doctorate Humane Letters, Virginia Commonwealth University, December 2023.
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, Northeastern University, May 2024.
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, May 2024
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, University of Ottawa, June 2024.
  • Honorary Doctorate of Science, Seattle University, June 2024.
  • Elected member, National Academy of Engineering, 2024.
  • Padma Shri Award: Government of India, 2025.

Works

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References

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  1. ^ "New director takes helm at National Science Foundation". nsf.gov. National Science Foundation. June 23, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Executive profile: Sethuraman Panchanathan of ASU - Phoenix Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Calvarese, Trisha (June 23, 2020). "Leader of AI breakthroughs, champion of innovation and inclusivity". National Science Foundation. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  4. ^ "Office of Alumni & Corporate Relations, IIT Madras". acr.iitm.ac.in. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Division of EECS, IISc Bangalore". Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "Program Chair | Internet and Multimedia Systems and Applications | August 17 – 19, 2009 | Honolulu, Hawaii, USA". IASTED. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  7. ^ Panchanathan, Sethuraman (1989). Algorithms and architectures for image coding using vector quantization (Ph.D. thesis). University of Ottawa (Canada). hdl:10393/5805. OCLC 872322075. ProQuest 89193507.
  8. ^ Panchanathan, Sethuraman. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Arizona State University.
  9. ^ "Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan". ASU News. November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Fourth International Conference on Digital Information Management ICDIM 2009". Icdim.org. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  11. ^ "IEEE Fellows 2001 | IEEE Communications Society".
  12. ^ "Panchanathan to facilitate ASU research opportunities". ASU News. February 4, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  13. ^ "Panchanathan named senior vice president for Knowledge Enterprise Development". ASU News. October 9, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  14. ^ "Most Innovative Schools". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  15. ^ SESSÃO - INDÚSTRIA DO FUTURO: RISCOS E OPORTUNIDADES PARA O BRASIL DIANTE DAS INOVAÇÕES DISRUPTIVAS [Session - Future industry: Risks and opportunities for Brazil before disruptive innovations]. Confederação Nacional da Indústria. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "Research and Innovation: Ensuring America's Economic and Strategic Leadership". United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. October 22, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  17. ^ "Obama names IITian Sethuraman Panchanathan to Science Foundation board". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  18. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individual to Key Administration Post". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2019 – via National Archives.
  19. ^ Leingang, Rachel (December 19, 2019). "ASU head of research Sethuraman Panchanathan nominated to lead National Science Foundation". Arizona Republic.
  20. ^ "NSF establishes new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships". NSF - National Science Foundation. March 16, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Panchanathan, Sethuraman (March 19, 2013). "What comes after the computer chip? Better brain-computer interfaces". Slate.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  22. ^ "ASU team uses computer science to aid lives of the disabled". Azcentral.com. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  23. ^ "Mayo Clinic/ASU Collaboration Announcement Bios | ASU News". Asunews.asu.edu. July 1, 2002. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  24. ^ "Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan | ASU News". Asunews.asu.edu. November 14, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  25. ^ TEDx Talks (May 5, 2017), Solutions to Grand Challenges Demand Innovation | Sethuraman Panchanathan | TEDxASU, retrieved June 8, 2017
  26. ^ "Soumya Panchanathan (Maricopa Integrated Health System) | Biomedical Informatics". Bmi.asu.edu. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  27. ^ "Sethuraman Panchanathan, Ph.D. - Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium". Azalz.org. August 13, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  28. ^ "Team Note-Taker presents at Imagine Cup 2011". Tom On Tech. July 10, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  29. ^ "20 People to Know in Arizona Education". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  30. ^ "COO of the Year". Phoenix Business Journal.
  31. ^ a b "Distinguished alum awards honor ASU's chief research and innovation officer". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. May 18, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  32. ^ "Federal Relations Blog - Pres. Trump Nominates New NSF Director". www.research.fsu.edu. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  33. ^ "Panchanathan appointed VP of National Academy of Inventors | ASU News". news.asu.edu. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  34. ^ "Sethuraman Panchanathan elected to Oak Ridge Associated Universities' Board of Directors | ASU News". news.asu.edu. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  35. ^ "Board Members". NAI. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  36. ^ Hibbert, Cynthia McCormick (0505). "National Science Foundation director tells Northeastern graduate students to stay curious and prepare for a lifetime of learning". Northeastern Global News. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
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Government offices
Preceded by 15th Director of the National Science Foundation
2020–present 		Incumbent
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