Dr. Anantha P. Chandrakasan, with his appointment as the Provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has become the pride of the Indian American community.
A celebratory event to felicitate Chandrakasan was jointly organized in New York July 1, 2025 by the Foundation of Indian Americans of New England and Indian Consulate of New York. It was attended by several diplomats, academic leaders, dignitaries, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, community leaders and other members of the Indian American community.
Beginning his new role as Provost on July 1, 2025, Chandrakasan will lead the academic and administrative operations of MIT, including resource management, strategic planning, oversight of faculty and staff, and external relations, reporting directly to the President.
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Chandrakasan joined MIT more than 30 years ago in 1994 after getting his bachelor’s, masters and doctoral degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkley.
Over the three decades, he has excelled in many roles, directing the Microsystems Technology Laboratories, heading the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and leading the School of Engineering as the Dean.
Last year, as MIT’s Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer, Chandrakasan launched many cross disciplinary initiatives including MIT Human Insight Collaborative aiming to bridge STEM fields with humanities and social sciences, MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium and MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative.
“As Provost, I am committed to advancing excellence in research, innovation, and education. Together, we will shape a future defined by meaningful progress and global impact,” Chandrakasan said, expressing his appreciation of the support of the Indian American community.
Lauding Chandrakasan’s academic achievements of three decades, Consul General Binaya S. Pradhan said his appointment reflects the growing contribution of Indian Americans in international education and innovation. “We look forward to deeper India-MIT collaborations in research, entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies,” Pradhan said.
Congratulating Chandrakasan, Boston’s Deputy Consul General Shruti Prushottam praised Boston diplomatic community’s role in forging academic and cultural partnerships.
President Abhishek Singh of the Foundation of Indian Americans of Boston spoke about the honor Chandrakasan has brought to the Indian American community. “Dr. Chandrakasan’s accomplishments will inspire countless young Indian-Americans to dream bigger and lead boldly,” Singh said.
Chandrakasan’s colleagues and MIT Faculty including Prof. Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal, South Asia specialist Prof. Sana Ayer, Vice President Prof. Jenny Liu of Boston Children’s Hospital Trust and more also applauded his achievements.
Other guests included Chairman Sushil Tuli of Leader Bank, Chairman Dilip Patel of Jamson Hotel Chain, philanthropists Prashanth and Anuradha Palakurthi, community leaders Sandeep Asija and Inder Kaul, chip design researcher Brij Bhushan Garg of Bell Labs, Vice President Sanjay Gokhale of Foundation of Indian Americans, and founders of Dev Patel Hospitality and podcasters Manju and Deepak Seth.
MIT boasts of many Indian American scholars on its faculty list, including Abhijit Banerjee who won the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.
Other scholars at MIT include Associate Professor of History Sana Aiyar; STEM professor Sanga Batia; Science, Technology and Society Associate Professor Dwaipayan Banerjee; and Mechanical Engineering Professor Rohit Karnik.