Padma Raghavan

Padma Raghavan is a computer scientist who works as the Chancellor's executive director for science and technology strategy at Vanderbilt University.

Raghavan graduated in 1985 from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. She earned her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 1991, with a dissertation on parallel algorithms for matrix decomposition supervised by Alex Pothen. She worked at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, then returned as a faculty member to Penn State in 2000. At Penn State, she became a distinguished professor of computer science and engineering, associate vice president for research, and director of strategic initiatives. She moved to Vanderbilt in 2016, where she served as vice provost for research and innovation and chief research officer, as well as a senior advisor to the chancellor until July 2025. She was a Computing Research Association CRA-W Distinguished Lecturer in 2010. She became a fellow of the IEEE in 2013. Raghavan remains active in her field, serving on the National Science Foundation's advisory committee for the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Council of Competitiveness's Technology Leadership and Strategy Initiative. Raghavan is also on the governing boards of UT-Battelle, which operates the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Southeastern University Research Association, which operates the Jefferson Lab, and the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership. President Biden also appointed Dr. Raghavan to serve a two-year term on the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science in 2022, which was renewed for an additional two-year term in 2024.

Raghavan's husband, mathematician Steve Simpson, moved with her from Penn State to Vanderbilt.