An Indian-origin professor and administrator, Arvind Raman has been selected as the Dean of the College of Engineering at Purdue University. As per the press release, Raman is the current associate dean of engineering and a mechanical engineering professor. The Purdue provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity, Patrick Wolfe, stated that Raman brings an impressive record of academic leadership experience to the role.
Wolfe further commented that Raman displays an immense passion for the role of engineering in creating innovative solutions for people and society. Moreover, Wolfe expressed his confidence in Raman leading the engineering college to “new levels of excellence and impact”.
Raman is expected to take charge, succeeding Mark Lundstrom, previous professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Meanwhile, Lundstrom is expected to continue leading the semiconductors activities across Purdue and the representation in statewide efforts as the senior advisor to the president and chief semiconductor officer.
Also Read: Indian-American Woman Elected as Harvard Law Review President
The press release revealed that Julie Swann and Arvind Raman were the finalists selected to give on-campus presentations and hold Q&A sessions. Among the top semifinalists who were interviewed for the role included a sitting provost, senior associate deans of top engineering colleges and department heads from reputable AAU universities.
According to the latest US News and World Report rankings, the undergraduate and graduate engineering programmes at Purdue university are among the top 10 and top 5 in the country, respectively.
Arvind Raman has previously been appointed as the director of the USAID-funded LASER (Long-term Assistance and Services for Research) and PULSE (Partners for University-Led Solutions Engine) consortium. The role had him leading the five-year USD 70 million programme. He has also been a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an ASME Gustus Larson Memorial Award recipient. In addition to this, Raman is a National Science Foundation CAREER awardee and Keeley fellow (Oxford), College of Engineering outstanding young investigator awardee. With the help of the Purdue-led nanoHUB, Raman’s atomic force microscopy simulation tools have been in use by thousands of researchers globally.
Also Read: US to Resume “Domestic Visa Revalidation” for H-1B and L-1 Visa Holders
Arvind Raman studied and earned his Bachelor of Technology degree from IIT Delhi following which he pursued his Master's in Mechanical engineering from Purdue and a PhD also in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California Berkley.
Expressing his gratitude for being selected to lead one of the country’s top-ranking engineering colleges, Raman stated that the college, “ in partnership with the faculty, students, staff, alumni and industry partners,” is aiming for excellence, with a promise to lead “truly game-changing initiatives that have an impact nationally and globally.
Wish to Pursue Engineering in USA?
Source: The Economic Times; Purdue University
