Latest news with #AnanthaChandrakasan
NDTV
18-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Meet Anantha Chandrakasan, First Indian-Born Provost Of MIT
Professor Anantha Chandrakasan has become the first Indian-American to be named Provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He will succeed Cynthia Barnhart who announced her resignation from the position in February. Mr Chandrakasan will assume the senior academic leadership position from July 1. He will oversee MIT's financial strategy, faculty affairs, institutional planning, and instructional programming in his role as provost. Who Is Anantha Chandrakasan? Anantha Chandrakasan was born in Chennai and moved to the US during his teenage years. He completed his bachelor's degree in 1989, master's in 1990, and PhD in 1994 in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. After earning his doctoral degree, he joined MIT 's Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) as the Director. In 2011, he became the Head of the EECS department, where he launched several initiatives, including the Advanced Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, known as SuperUROP, the Rising Stars program for women, the Postdoc6 initiative for postdocs to help them develop their skills, and StartMIT for students to upgrade their skills. In 2017, he was appointed Dean of the MIT School of Engineering. He has served as the Conference Chair of the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) since 2010. He received recognition as the author with the most articles in the IEEE ISSCC's 60-year history. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2015, after becoming an IEEE fellow. Mr Chandrakasan also leads a research team at MIT, known as the Energy-Efficient Circuits and Systems Group. It focuses on developing secure hardware for devices, creating energy-harvesting systems, wireless charging for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, designing energy-efficient circuits, and building ultra-low-power biomedical electronics. He is the recipient of several awards such as the 2009 Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), University Researcher Award, the 2013 IEEE Donald O. Pederson Award in Solid-State Circuits, an honorary doctorate from KU Leuven in 2016, and the UC Berkeley EE Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
'Deeply honoured': Chennai-born professor Anantha Chandrakasan appointed MIT provost, becomes first Indian-American in the role
Chennai-born Professor Anantha Chandrakasan has been appointed as the next provost of MIT, marking him as the first Indian-American to hold this prestigious position. Assuming office on July 1, he will oversee academic programs, faculty affairs, and strategic planning. NEW DELHI: Chennai-born Prof Anantha Chandrakasan has been named the next provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), becoming the first Indian-American to hold the key leadership position at the prestigious US institution. He will assume charge on July 1. Chandrakasan, currently MIT's chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of engineering, was selected from among several top internal candidates. MIT President Sally Kornbluth praised his 'exceptional record of shaping and leading important innovations for the Institute.' The provost is MIT's chief academic and budget officer, overseeing all academic programs, faculty affairs, strategic planning, and affiliated units, while leading a team of vice provosts responsible for areas ranging from the arts to international engagement. 'I am deeply honoured to take on the role of provost,' Chandrakasan said in a statement issued by MIT. 'Looking ahead, I see myself as a key facilitator, enabling faculty, students, postdocs, and staff to continue making extraordinary contributions to the nation and the world.' Kornbluth said Chandrakasan takes over the role at a 'perilous' time for the institute, amid growing uncertainty over federal support for research, education, and international talent retention. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Itapucá (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo 'In a time of such intense pressure and potentially historic change, I am particularly grateful that we will be able to draw on Anantha's depth and breadth of experience; his nimbleness, entrepreneurial spirit and boundless energy; his remarkable record in raising funds from outside sources for important ideas; and his profound commitment to MIT's mission,' she said. The Consulate General of India in New York congratulated Chandrakasan on his appointment, noting his significant contributions to US-India collaboration in R&D. 'A distinguished academic and leader, Prof Chandrakasan has remained a strong advocate of India-USA technological & R&D collaboration; has been working with various Indian government and private sector stakeholders towards this objective. We wish him all success in this important responsibility,' the Consulate said. Chandrakasan has served as MIT's dean of engineering since 2017 and was appointed as the institute's inaugural chief innovation and strategy officer in 2024. Prior to that, he led MIT's largest academic department — Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) — for six years. He also directed the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) from 2006 to 2011. Kornbluth, who appointed him as the first CISO, described him as someone with a 'can-do attitude, creativity, enthusiasm, strategic insight, fluency across a wide range of subject areas, and gift for engaging industry allies and donors.' Chandrakasan will succeed Cynthia Barnhart, who announced her decision to step down earlier this year. As provost, he will focus on three major priorities: long-term financial and institutional planning, attracting and retaining top talent, and enhancing interdisciplinary research, education, and entrepreneurship. 'Recognising that each school and other academic units operate within a unique context, I plan to engage deeply with their leaders to understand their challenges and aspirations. This will help me refine and set the priorities for the Office of the Provost,' Chandrakasan said. He also announced plans to establish advisory groups comprising faculty, students, postdocs, and external stakeholders to inform his decisions. 'There is a tremendous opportunity for MIT to be at the centre of the innovations in areas where the United States wants to lead. It's about AI. It's about semiconductors. It's about quantum, biosecurity and biomanufacturing space — but not only that,' Chandrakasan said. 'We need students who can do more than just code or design or build. We really need students who understand the human perspective and human insights. This is why collaborations between STEM fields and the humanities, arts and social sciences, such as through the new MIT Human Insights Collaborative, are so important,' he added. Chandrakasan holds a BS, MS, and PhD in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley.
Boston Globe
04-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
GE Vernova commits $50 million to MIT as energy company celebrates its first year
The MIT partnership coincided with the launch of GE Vernova's first brand campaign, dubbed 'The Energy of Change,' aimed in part at building awareness of the company — one of the country's biggest energy businesses, on track for up to $37 billion in revenue this year — and attracting talented young professionals who might otherwise be considering roles at big tech firms and other blue-chip companies. Advertisement Unlike GE's tenure in Boston, which ultimately ended in the company breaking apart, GE Vernova's emergence in Cambridge is paying off so far, Strazik said in an interview . (The headquarters itself is relatively modest, with about 100 of the 75,000-person global workforce based there.) GE Vernova essentially doubled its cash balance in the past year, to $8 billion. And the company has minimal debt — unlike its former parent. That gives GE Vernova more leeway to invest in acquisitions and university partnerships. Advertisement 'It's what gives us the opportunity now to make the announcement ... with MIT, to invest into an alliance with them,' Strazik said. 'This is really foundational, and yes, it's helpful that we share the same neighborhood, but it's more than that. There's shared values here, and, I would say, practical ambition that we're incredibly motivated to work with them on.' Strazik reached out to MIT chief strategy officer Anantha Chandrakasan in 2023 to start figuring out ways to better connect GE Vernova with the university, its professors, and its students. The $50 million alliance is an outgrowth of those discussions. MIT has other partnerships with big companies, such as IBM and Takeda, but this one with GE Vernova is one of the largest in terms of the funding levels, he said. 'A great amount of innovation happens in academia. We have a longer view into the future,' Chandraksan said of the GE Vernova partnership. '[While] they have the ability to get products out quickly to scale up, to manufacture, we have the ability to think past the short-term. ... It's super smart of them to surround themselves with this incredible talent in academia. That will allow us to make the kind of breakthroughs that will keep US competitiveness at its peak.' Advertisement Jon Chesto can be reached at
