Indian American appointed as VP of National Academy of Inventors

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Indian American Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan has been appointed vice president of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Panchanathan is currently the executive vice president of Knowledge Enterprise Development and chief research and innovation officer at Arizona State University.

He will use his new role to strategically advance research, innovation, entrepreneurship and education through invention.

“I am honored to take on this role and excited to further the NAI’s mission to advance the innovative spirit globally, recognize inventors, mentor young minds and translate academic findings to meaningful solutions for society,” Panchanathan is quoted saying in a press release.

ASU is one of NAI’s nine sustaining member institutions.

Under Panchanathan’s leadership, ASU launched its own NAI chapter to promote invention and recognize innovation across the university and in the 2017–2018 year, the chapter boasted 46 members, including 12 new ones, according to a press release.

The selection also adds to a series of prestigious national appointments Panchanathan has received.

In 2014, he became the first Indian American to join the National Science Board (NSB), appointed by President Barack Obama while former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker appointed him to the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, that same year.

Panchanathan has chaired the Committee of Strategy and Budget at the NSB as well as the Council of Research at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities among many other appointments.

He has also served as the co-chair of the Taskforce on Extreme Innovation at the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils.

In addition to advancing the mission of research and development during his service on multiple boards and committees, Panchanathan brings decades of experience in mentorship to his new position at the NAI as he has mentored nearly 150 graduate students, postdoctoral students and researchers, during the course of his career.

As a prolific inventor, Panchanathan has obtained several patents and copyrights and published close to 450 papers in prestigious journals and conferences.

His research interests include human-centered multimedia computing, haptic user interfaces, person-centered tools and ubiquitous computing technologies, and machine learning in multimedia and his interest in assistive and adaptive technologies led him to found the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC).

“The National Academy of Inventors is thrilled to have Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan take on the role of vice president of strategic initiatives and membership. His intellect, energy and passion for innovation are unparalleled. We are delighted to have him not only as a member of our board of directors, but more importantly as vice president responsible for advancing and shaping the future of NAI. I look forward to his partnership and leadership,” Paul Sanberg, the president of NAI, is quoted saying in a press release.