South Asian Spotlight

UConn appoints Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan as interim CAHNR dean. A leader in food safety, he heads a $10M USDA project on sustainable poultry production.

Indian-American planner Het Patel is named Transit Assistant Director for Raleigh. With 6+ years of experience, Patel will lead city transit operations and growth starting June 28.

UGA appoints Dr. Prashant Doshi as the first executive director of its AI Institute, advancing interdisciplinary AI research, education, and innovation.

UPitt appoints Dr. Vikas Khanna as interim chair of Civil & Environmental Engineering. He brings 15+ years of leadership, research, and sustainability expertise.

Indian-origin Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji wins the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award for pioneering research on implicit bias and attitudes.

Accenture appoints Manish Sharma as its first Chief Services Officer, leading the new Reinvention Services unit in a major AI-driven organizational overhaul effective September 2025

Indian-American thoracic surgeon Dr. Sai Yendamuri has been elected as a Fellow of the American Surgical Association (ASA), recognizing his leadership in lung cancer research and surgical innovation.

Yogesh Gupta has been named the EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year, recognizing his leadership, innovation, and impact in the tech industry. Learn more about this prestigious achievement

Springboard Enterprises appoints Umbreen Bhatti as CEO to lead its next chapter in advancing women-led innovation and entrepreneurship.

MIT appoints Anantha Chandrakasan as Provost, highlighting his leadership in engineering, innovation, AI, and interdisciplinary research.

University of West Alabama appoints Dr. Narendra Datta as Chair of Engineering Tech, focusing on industry ties, hands-on learning & workforce-ready programs.

Cornerstone Research appoints Gopal Das Varma as VP, strengthening its antitrust and mergers practice with 25+ years of regulatory and consulting experience.

Purdue’s Amit Varma receives AISC Lifetime Achievement Award for groundbreaking work in steel-concrete composites, modular construction, and nuclear infrastructure.

FactSet appoints JPMorgan exec Sanoke Viswanathan as CEO, succeeding Phil Snow. Viswanathan brings 15+ years of global strategy and fintech leadership.

Dr. Dipen Parekh, a renowned urologic oncologist and leader, was appointed CEO of UHealth. He leads the University of Miami’s top academic health system with a focus on care, research, and education.

Kannon Shanmugam, a leading Indian American appellate attorney, has been elected to Harvard’s senior governing board. Learn about his background, achievements, and new role starting July 1.

Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Texas, wins the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee by spelling “éclaircissement.”

Penn State’s Swaroop Ghosh and Vishal Monga named 2025 AAIA fellows for their pioneering work in AI, drug discovery, and imaging science.

Rajan Gill reappointed to California’s APIA Commission by Gov. Newsom. A historian, farmer & advocate, he continues championing API community issues.

Tufts Medical Center appoints Dr. Soma Sengupta as Chair of Neurology, effective September 2025. A renowned neuro-oncologist and researcher, she will lead innovation in brain health, clinical trials, and education at Tufts.

Indian-origin leaders Anjali Sud and Sanjay Seth have been elected to key Harvard boards. Sud joins the Board of Overseers, while Seth joins the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA)

Vivek Ranadivé, Indian American entrepreneur and Sacramento Kings owner, was honored at the TAAF Awards 2025 for his leadership and impact in advancing AAPI representation and inclusion.

Indian-origin psychology graduate Meena Sundrum wins the 2025 Gretchen Goldsmith Lankford Award for her innovation in emotional learning at Carnegie Mellon.

Dr. Inderbir Gill, an Indian-origin urologist, played a key role in the world’s first human bladder transplant at UCLA. Discover how this groundbreaking surgery is revolutionizing organ transplants and offering new hope to patients.

Know how Siva Komaragiri’s EMMA app boosted resident feedback rates at AGH’s ER from 19% to 75%, streamlining evaluations and improving patient care.

Ganesh Thakur, a UH professor of petroleum engineering, becomes the first University of Houston faculty member to lead TAMEST, Texas’s top science academy. His term runs through 2027.

Washingtonian names 10 Indian Americans in its 2025 list of DC’s 500 Most Influential People shaping U.S. policy in healthcare, tech, trade & more.

Samarth Shiramshetty, an Indian-origin student, wins TreeHacks 2025 at Stanford with AI-powered HiveMind, earning the grand prize for tech innovation.

Dr. Arundathi Reddy receives the 2025 Ruth Olive Beall Award from Arkansas Children’s Hospital for her excellence in pediatric anesthesiology, leadership, and compassionate patient care.

Anand Giridharadas joins TIME100 Philanthropy 2025 for challenging elite giving and advocating systemic reform. Discover why his bold critique is more relevant than ever.

Cornell senior Netra Shetty honored for public health work and advocacy for incarcerated communities with the 2025 Campus Community Leadership Award.

Indian-origin professor Dr. Harmandeep Sharma wins the 2025 SAS Community Uplift Award for using data science to advance sustainable farming and empower marginalized farmers.

ALAPIO, Dr. Nitin Shah, Dr. Bharat Patel, and Sarva Mangal Family Trust inaugurate the Shah Happiness Medical Center – first free surgery clinic in the country

Indian-American alumni Rajendra and Neera Singh pledge $3.5 million to the University of Maine to fund scholarships for engineering students and establish a Chair in Applied Innovation.

CoreTrust appoints Vikram Suresh as new CFO to lead financial strategy and growth. Read why Vikram Suresh is in the news and what this means for CoreTrust’s future.

Indian-origin engineer Anway Pimpalkar co-develops Re-Kinesis, a smart gait shoe transforming elderly care. A Johns Hopkins innovation recognized by the NIH.

Three Indian-origin law students, Varun Cidambi, Akanksha Balekai, and Ruchika Sharma, have been named 2025 Next Generation Leaders by ACS

Iowa State University appoints Raj Agnihotri as the new Raisbeck Endowed Dean of the Ivy College of Business, effective July 1, 2025. Agnihotri brings extensive leadership, academic excellence, and industry engagement experience.

Raj Mankad, deputy opinion editor at the Houston Chronicle, wins the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for a powerful series exposing the deadly impact of stalled freight trains in Houston’s underserved communities.

Samir Shah appointed as CEO of Golden State Grizzlies, bringing strategic leadership to the team. Learn about the Grizzlies’ new management, the future of Minor League Cricket USA, and Shah’s vision for cricket growth in the U.S.

The Shah Happiness Foundation launches the Volunteer Excellence Awards, granting $100,000 in unrestricted donations to 40 nonprofits honoring South Asian volunteers across the U.S. Nominate today at volunteerexcellenceawards.com.

Tejpaul Bhatia has been appointed CEO of Axiom Space, after serving as Chief Revenue Officer. With a history of pioneering commercial spaceflight, Bhatia will lead the company in its mission to revolutionize space infrastructure, including the world’s first commercial human-rated space station.

Emory University honors Dr. Suresh Ramalingam with the 2025 Albert E. Levy Award for his groundbreaking lung cancer research, including landmark trials that transformed treatment standards.

Sakhi Patel and Shrey Modi’s AI-powered startup, CuraVoice, took the top prize at California State University Long Beach’s 2025 Sunstone Innovation Challenge. Their innovative voicebot helps healthcare students improve patient communication through realistic, adaptive simulations. The team earned $15,000 in seed funding and over $35,000 in support services. CuraVoice stands at the intersection of AI and medical education, addressing critical gaps in bedside communication training.

Harshman Sihra, Rishi Shah, Ojas Sanghi, and Dhruvak Mirani are among 54 students selected as 2025 Truman Scholars for their leadership, academic achievement, and dedication to public service.

Slippery Rock University names Prasad Vemala as the new dean of its College of Business. With decades of experience in academic leadership, Vemala steps in to guide SRU’s AACSB-accredited programs.

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan announces a major leadership overhaul, naming Sachin Katti as CTO and Chief AI Officer to lead the company’s AI strategy and innovation efforts.

Dr. Manohar Singh has been appointed as the 12th Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, bringing a wealth of experience in higher education leadership. Learn about his background, vision for student success, and leadership at WCSU as he prepares to lead UWO into its next chapter starting July 1, 2025.

Shweta Rawat joins the Americares Board of Directors, bringing over a decade of experience in global health, disability inclusion, and social impact leadership.

Santa Clara University will award an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree to Arista CEO Jayshree Ullal at its 2025 undergraduate commencement.