Sethuraman Panchanathan, the director of the National Science Foundation, will be the speaker at Northeastern’s 2024 graduate commencement ceremony, the university announced Wednesday.
As director of the National Science Foundation, or NSF, Panchanathan “maintains leadership roles on several key interagency councils and committees.” Before joining NSF, he served on the National Science Board and was the executive vice president of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise, according to his profile on the NSF website.
Panchanathan’s scientific contributions include advancing the fields of human-centered multimedia computing, media processor designs, machine learning for multimedia applications, and haptic user interfaces and ubiquitous computing technologies for enhancing the quality of life for individuals with different abilities, his profile reads.
“Director Panchanathan’s leadership has been a force in recognizing the groundbreaking challenges and opportunities of cutting-edge science, particularly artificial intelligence,” Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun said in a Northeastern Global News, or NGN, article announcing Panchanathan as the speaker. “We welcome him back to Northeastern.”
Panchanathan, an engineer and computer scientist, previously visited Northeastern in October 2023 to speak at the grand opening of EXP, the university’s newest building.
“I saw firsthand how dedicated Northeastern University is to providing world class educational opportunities and to training future generations of leaders and innovators,” he said to NGN about his visit.
Panchanathan is a fellow of many academic organizations, including the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Association for Computing Machinery, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Society of Optical Engineering, according to his NSF profile.
The graduate commencement ceremony is set for 10 a.m. May 5 at Fenway Park.
Past speakers at the graduate commencement ceremony include Chrystia Freeland, minister of finance and deputy prime minister of Canada, in 2023 and National Public Radio journalist Leila Fadel in 2022.
“I’m sincerely delighted to be returning to Northeastern University in May to celebrate this year’s graduates,” Panchanathan said in the NGN article. “Their Northeastern education has given them everything they need to succeed in a future that is rich with opportunities.”
