Indian American engineer and educationist Arvind Raman has been sworn in as the 18th director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), one of the nation’s longest-running physical science laboratories.
He was also sworn in as the fifth under secretary of commerce for standards and technology by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on June 30 following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate on May 18.
NIST conducts research and standards development activities that support innovation in a wide array of disciplines, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, cybersecurity, manufacturing and biotechnology.
Raman’s “experience in conducting and leading innovative research will be a tremendous asset to the Department of Commerce and help American technology and manufacturing continue to thrive,” said Lutnick.
Read: Two Indian American faculty get named professorships at Wisconsin-Madison University
(July 8, 2026)
“NIST is one of America’s most important science institutions thanks to its unique mission and the expertise of its employees,” said Raman. “I look forward to maximizing NIST’s ability to accelerate American innovation through partnerships with industry, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.”
As director, Raman will guide NIST’s collaborative efforts with industry, academia and other government agencies to develop and apply the technology, measurements and standards needed to create innovative U.S. products and services.
He will also steer NIST’s work to accelerate American technological innovation through research and development that supports science-based standards and to maximize innovation by fostering research that applies AI to the development of semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
In February 2023, Raman was named as the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering at Purdue University in Indiana. Starting as an assistant professor at Purdue in 2000, he received multiple awards for teaching and was appointed the Robert V. Adams Professor of Engineering in 2012.
Read: Vispero appoints Indian American tech executive Sid Gaitonde as CEO
(July 8, 2026)
His research has focused on atomic force microscopy, human biomechanics and electronics manufacturing. Starting early in his career, he has often collaborated with NIST researchers in nanotechnology.
Raman’s honors and awards include the Gustus Larson Memorial Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Keeley fellowship from the University of Oxford, and a National Science Foundation CAREER award.
In 2008 he was named a Purdue University Faculty Scholar, and in 2012 he was elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and in 2026 a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Raman has a Bachelor of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, an MS in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.