An Indian American couple have endowed The U. Krishna Veeraraghavan and Sejal Shah University Professorship at Princeton University as part of its Venture Forward campaign.
Shah is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and medical director of SmarterSkin Dermatology, a private cosmetic dermatology clinic in New York City; Veeraraghavan is global co-head of the mergers and acquisitions group at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
“I’ve always been proud of Princeton’s single-minded pursuit of excellence. Coming back to campus last spring for my 25th Reunion and seeing all my classmates and friends reiterated how lucky I am to be a part of this University for my entire life. I think of where I am today, and it all started with my time at Princeton,” said Veeraraghavan.
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“As Sejal and I thought about ways to give back, one of the things that became clear to us was the importance of attracting the best and brightest professors,” he said. “It’s essential to the future of the University to recruit and retain highly sought-after scholars. So much has changed in just the past few years when you consider where we are on AI, quantum computing, the biosciences and the role of the humanities in all those disciplines.”
“By establishing this University Professorship, we hope Princeton will honor brilliant teachers who’ve not only produced world-class research — but who also have a capacity for even greater future growth,” Veeraraghavan added.
In addition to generous support of Annual Giving, Veeraraghavan and Shah previously made a gift to Princeton in 2019 that established the Krishna Veeraraghavan Fund in support of college access, according to a university release.
The University Professorship is the most prestigious honor Princeton bestows on a faculty member. Recipients of the honor are recognized for demonstrating scholarly preeminence in their professional accomplishments, as well as making exceptional contributions to the University’s research and teaching community.
“The foundation of Princeton’s excellence is the quality of its faculty, and the University Professorship recognizes individuals who have produced transformative scholarship and are spectacular teachers,” said President Christopher L. Eisgruber. “We are deeply grateful to the alumni and friends who have made a timeless commitment to Princeton’s educational mission by endowing these University Professorships.”
University Professorships are reserved for those faculty members who have achieved an exceptional level of accomplishment. Since 1962, only 73 members of the Princeton faculty have held the title. Among them are seven recipients of the Nobel Prize, two Fields Medalists and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
The Venture Forward campaign supports the University’s strategic framework, and its fundraising and alumni engagement initiatives are aligned with the key focus areas of that plan: college access and affordability, financial aid, data science, bioengineering, the environment, American Studies and other important areas of inquiry — such as quantum science, AI and cancer research — that characterize Princeton’s commitment to the liberal arts.