Last week, Dr. Sethuraman "Panch" Panchanathan announced his departure from the National Science Foundation after nearly five years of transformative leadership that spanned both the Trump and Biden Administrations. From day one, Panch focused his tenure on a strong commitment to expanding the U.S. innovation economy to more people and places. “Innovation Anywhere, Opportunities Everywhere” was a recurring theme in nearly every workshop, seminar, and summit keynote he gave, including the Council's National Competitiveness Forum.
While NSF Director, Dr. Panchanathan established the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) directorate—the first new directorate in 30 years—and made over 4,900 investments in local innovation projects across all 50 states. These initiatives significantly expanded access to the innovation economy and enhanced research efforts in fields ranging from AI to biotechnology to aerospace.
He also played a pivotal role in implementing the CHIPS and Science Act, which codified the TIP directorate and the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, supporting place-based innovation by funding partnerships between academia, industry, and communities. The CHIPS and Science Act also provided $200 million for developing the domestic semiconductor manufacturing workforce through the Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) program. Additionally, he led the NSF's AI initiatives, investing over $800 million in 2023 alone and launching programs to enhance AI literacy and interdisciplinary research.
Before his tenure at the NSF, Dr. Panchanathan, a renowned computer scientist, spent more than 20 years in leadership roles at Arizona State University (ASU), including leading the ASU Knowledge Enterprise and serving as Chief Research and Technology Officer. His guidance helped elevate ASU to prominence as one of the nation's top research universities, where it now ranks fifth for non-medical university research expenditures.
During his time at ASU, Dr. Panchanathan was deeply engaged with the Council on Competitiveness. He actively participated in the Technology Leadership & Strategy Initiative (TLSI); he and his teams hosted a range of U.S.-Brazil Innovation Learning Labs; and he played a key role in the Council’s sister organization, the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC). He served as the inaugural co-chair for the GFCC’s University and Research Leadership Forum, pioneering a critical study outlining best and next practices to drive “extreme innovation” across disciplines and geographies through public-private partnerships.
Dr. Panchanathan has made a significant impact on the U.S. science and engineering enterprise and the Council on Competitiveness – and no doubt will continue to do so. We are grateful to Panch for his dedication, vision, and leadership, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. We look forward to continued collaboration in the years ahead.
