Sethuraman Panchanathan

Sethuraman Panchanathan (born 24 June 1961 ) is an Indian–American computer scientist and academic administrator who served as the 15th Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) from 2020 to 2025.

Panchanathan is a professor and foundation chair in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU). Prior to serving on the National Science Board and as NSF director, Panchanathan led ASU's Knowledge Enterprise, its research apparatus, as executive vice president and chief research and innovation officer. During his tenure at the NSF, the agency formed its first new directorate in more than 30 years and established a network of artificial intelligence research institutes, among other initiatives. His departure from the foundation came amid significant cuts to NSF funding.

Panchanathan's research focuses on machine learning and assistive computing technologies for disabled people. In 2025, Panchanathan received the Padma Shri, one of the Government of India's highest civilian awards.

Early life and education Panchanathan was born in Chennai, India. He attended Vivekananda College, affiliated with the University of Madras, graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in physics. In 1984, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering in electronics and communication engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

In 1986, he completed his Master of Technology in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He later enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Ottawa and received his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in 1989 while working under the direction of Morris Goldberg.

Career University of Ottawa Panchanathan joined the University of Ottawa in 1989 as assistant professor and in 1994 was promoted to associate professor with tenure. While at the university, he was the founding director of the Visual Computing and Communications Laboratory. Research Panchanathan conducted while at the University of Ottawa included work on image and video compression using the JPEG and MPEG standards.

Arizona State University In 1997, Panchanathan joined Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona, as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. In 2001, he was promoted to full professor and founded the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC); that same year, he became an IEEE fellow for his contributions to compressed domain processing and indexing in visual computing and communications. He also founded and led the School of Computing and Informatics (2006-2009) and the Department of Biomedical Informatics (2005-2007). and in 2011 was promoted to senior vice president of ASU's Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development, its research apparatus. In 2016, Panchanathan became executive vice president of Knowledge Enterprise development and chief research and innovation officer, a position involving promoting research, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships. During his term in the position, research expenditures increased to $635 million in 2018. He served in this role until his nomination as Director of the National Science Foundation in 2020.

U.S. National Science Foundation On June 13, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Panchanathan to the National Science Board of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). President Donald Trump nominated Panchanathan as NSF director on December 19, 2019; the U.S. Senate unaimously confirmed the appointment on June 18, 2020, and he assumed office on June 23. Among TIP's programs was Regional Innovation Engines, which was designed to expand the geography of place-based innovation. Other notable achievements during his tenure include a new GRANTED program to broaden participation in research and education, the establishment of a network of 27 artificial intelligence research institutes, and the creation of the Global Centers Program to support "large-scale use-inspired research in collaboration with international partners to address global challenges that cannot be solved by any single country".

As part of mass layoffs in the U.S. federal workforce, on February 4, 2025, 168 NSF workers, representing approximately 10% of the workforce, were fired. Panchanathan's absence from the firing meetings was criticized by some NSF employees. All but two of the 86 probationary employees were rehired on February 28, though a separate group of part-time scientific experts was not, for a total of 84 dismissals.

Panchanathan resigned as director on April 24, 2025, stating, "I believe I have done all I can to advance the critical mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership." A source with knowledge of the situation told Science that Panchanathan had "[tried] so hard to present the agency in a positive light" but risked alienating himself from the scientific community had he stayed, given a recent White House proposal to cut the agency's budget by 55% for the next fiscal year.

Research

Panchanathan's research interests include human-centered multimedia computing (HCMC), assistive and rehabilitative technologies, haptic user interfaces, face and gait analysis and recognition, medical image processing, media processor designs, ubiquitous computing environments for enhancing quality of life for individuals with disabilities, and machine learning.

Personal life Panchanathan is married and has two children and three grandchildren.

Awards, appointments and fellowships Awards and recognitions

Padma Shri, Government of India, 2025 Distinguished Career Award in Computer Science and Policy, Washington Academy of Sciences, 2022 IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Public Service, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)-USA, 2021 COO of the Year, Phoenix Business Journal, 2017 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

Appointments Elected member, National Academy of Engineering, 2024 Advisor for Science and Technology to Doug Ducey, the Governor of Arizona, 2018–2020 Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Membership, National Academy of Inventors Board of Directors, 2018–2020 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Board of Directors, 2018 National Academy of Inventors Board of Directors, 2015–present

Fellowships Panchanathan is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association for Computing Machinery, Canadian Academy of Engineering, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, National Academy of Inventors, and SPIE.

Published works