Who is Sethuraman Panchanathan? Trump-appointed Indian-origin NSF director resigns, issues statement, says…
New Delhi: Sethuraman Panchanathan, the Indian-origin director of the United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF), has resigned from his post. Appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020, Panchanathan decided to step down as the NSF faced strong criticism over budget cuts, job layoffs, and pressure around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. The cuts were mainly pushed by the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk.
In a memo to NSF employees on April 24, Panchanathan announced his resignation. According to MSNBC, it came as a shock to many staff members. Earlier, Panchanathan had defended the changes happening at the NSF. But soon after, he quit, saying he had “done all I can do”. In his message, he said, “I believe that I have done all I can to advance the mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership. This is a pivotal moment for our nation in terms of global competitiveness. NSF is an extremely important investment to make US scientific dominance a reality. We must not lose our competitive edge.”
Who is Sethuraman Panchanathan?
Panchanathan was chosen as the 15th director of the NSF and was supposed to serve until 2026. Soon after taking charge, he focused on three big goals: promoting future research, ensuring inclusivity, and keeping America’s global leadership in science and engineering strong.
Born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in 1960, Panchanathan studied in India and later moved to Canada for higher education. He completed his M.Sc. and M.Tech in India and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa. He studied at famous institutions like IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore, and Vivekananda College under Madras University. In 2015, the Indian government honored him with the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award.
Glimpse of his career background
Panchanathan’s career has been full of achievements. He started as an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa in 1989 and became an associate professor in 1994. In 1997, he moved to Arizona State University (ASU), where he later became a full professor. In 2001, he founded the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC). His work earned him fellowships from respected organizations like IEEE, the National Academy of Inventors, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Before leaving ASU in 2016, he served as the executive vice president of Knowledge Enterprise Development and as the chief research and innovation officer.
Panchanathan was first nominated to the NSF’s National Science Board in 2014 by former President Barack Obama. Later, President Trump selected him as NSF director, and he officially took office on June 23, 2020. He became only the second Indian-American to lead the NSF after Dr. Subra Suresh.
Understanding NSF: What does it do? What are the challenges?
The National Science Foundation (NSF), created in 1950, manages a $9 billion federal budget that supports professors, young researchers, and scientific projects across the country. It plays a major role in making advanced scientific discovery and innovation in the United States.
Recently, however, the NSF has been facing serious challenges. The newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has criticized many of the NSF’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, calling them wasteful. In April, the NSF announced it would be canceling hundreds of research grants, cutting more than $230 million in funding.
Reports suggest that over 380 grant projects have already been dropped. DOGE posted on X that 402 DEI grants worth $233 million were canceled, but the NSF has not confirmed the exact figures. So far, the foundation has also remained silent on whether more cuts will happen in the future.
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