Indian American tech entrepreneur Subhachandra Chandra and his wife Nandita Chandra have established a new endowed professorship at Binghamton University designed to champion the integration of artificial intelligence across diverse academic disciplines.
The gift from the couple will fund a faculty position at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science at the State University of New York.
The Subhachandra and Nandita Chandra Endowed Professorship will support an associate professor or professor whose research leverages AI in pioneering ways, including fields such as medicine, environmental sciences, and manufacturing.
Born in India, Subhachandra Chandra moved to the United States to pursue higher education, graduating from Binghamton in 1995 with a master’s degree in computer science.
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He credits his time at the university, where he received graduate assistantships and worked as part of Distinguished Professor Kanad Ghose’s research group, as a critical stepping stone that provided access to advanced computing learning unavailable in India at the time.
He later earned a doctorate in computer science from the University of Michigan in 2000 and built a career in the San Francisco Bay Area building software systems and platforms at startups.
He currently serves as the co-founder and chief technology officer of Aria Networks, a startup focused on networking infrastructure for AI adoption.
University leaders noted that the endowment will strengthen recruitment and retention efforts in a competitive technological landscape. In addition to salary support, the funding can help with operational needs, such as travel, equipment, online resources, publication expenses, stipends for student assistants, and matching funds on grant applications.
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University President Anne D’Alleva expressed gratitude for the contribution, noting that the gift pays tribute to the broad successes of alumni and will inspire others.
Watson College Dean Atul Kelkar added that the partnership strengthens the college and honors the donor’s vision for innovation, ensuring research remains at the cutting edge of global technological progress.
The Chandras, who both hold doctorates, emphasize a strong belief in the mutually beneficial relationship between university laboratory research and breakthroughs in the private sector.
This endowment represents their latest effort in more than 20 years of financial contributions to the university, which include support for the Watson College Scholars Program, the Chandra Family Scholarship, and the Binghamton Fund for Watson College.
University officials emphasized that while the position centers initially on artificial intelligence, the endowment is structured with flexibility, allowing Watson College to pivot the focus if needed to adapt to future technological shifts.