Indian-American scientist to head National Science Foundation, confirms US Senate

The US Senate has confirmed the appointment of Indian-American scientist Sethuraman Panchanathan as the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr Panchanathan, also known as “Panch” among family and friends, is set to head the top American science funding body supporting fundamental research in non-medical fields of science and engineering.

Dr Panchanathan currently leads the knowledge enterprise development at Arizona State University (ASU) and was instrumental in founding the Biomedical Informatics Department at ASU. In 2014, Panchanathan was appointed by President Barack Obama to the US National Science Board (NSB), a body comprising 25 Members.

The 58-year-old researcher was the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Multimedia Magazine and is also an editor/associate editor of many other journals and transactions. According to NSF website, he has mentored over 100 graduate students, post-docs, research engineers and research scientists who occupy leading positions in academia and industry.

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NSB Chair hails Dr Panch's enthusiasm

After the Senate’s confirmation, NSB Chair Ellen Ochoa said in a statement that the NSB is excited to continue to work with Dr Panchanathan in his new role as NSF Director. Ochoa hailed his enthusiasm for science and technology and his deep passion for NSF, NSF-funded research discoveries, and STEM education and training investments.

The NSB Chair said that Panch’s leadership at ASU was key to the university’s growth and emergence as an innovator in higher education, especially in terms of partnerships and entrepreneurship. She further added that Dr Panchanathan shares the NSB’s belief that the US and NSF must explore and experiment with new approaches to strengthen the S&E enterprise.

“We look forward to partnering with Director Panchanathan and other leaders in S&E to implement our Vision 2030 Roadmap to keep America’s lead in fundamental research,” Ochoa said.

In 1981, Dr Panchanathan finished his BSc from University of Madras and then pursued B.E. from Indian Institute of Science. He later completed M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology,  and PhD. from University of Ottawa, Canada, in 1989. In 1997, he moved to Arizona as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at ASU.

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(Image Credit: NSB)