Naren Ramakrishnan, an Indian American professor who integrates AI and urban analytics to understand complex systems and anticipate emerging events, has been elected to the 2026 class of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (VASEM).
He was elected to VASEM with six other Virginia Tech faculty members in recognition of their sustained contributions to research, innovation, education, and service to Virginia.
The academy brings together leaders in science, engineering, and medicine from across Virginia to provide independent expertise on issues important to the state, foster collaboration, and promote research and innovation, according to Virginia Tech News.
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Virginia Tech’s total membership now stands at 32 with the addition of Ramakrishnan and six other new inductees: Luiz DaSilva, Stefan Duma, Carla Finkielstein, Lee Learman, Robin McCarley, and John Rossmeisl.
Ramakrishnan, is a University Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and director of the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics. His research integrates artificial intelligence (AI), data science, forecasting, computational epidemiology, and urban analytics to understand complex systems and anticipate emerging events.
Across Ramakrishnan’s research, a recurring theme has been the use of data to better understand human behavior, public health, and societal change at population scale. His work has contributed to both the methods available for studying these phenomena and understanding of the ethical and societal issues involved.
Ramakrishnan’s accomplishments include development of EMBERS, a 24/7 forecasting system sponsored by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity that uses open-source data to anticipate events including disease outbreaks, civil unrest, and election outcomes.
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He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Ramakrishnan leads AI and machine learning efforts for the Institute for Advanced Computing and has helped establish interdisciplinary programs connecting data science to public health, urban systems, and other societal challenges
He also helped lead Virginia Tech’s 2025 Virginia AI Summit, organized by VASEM to examine the opportunities and challenges surrounding AI and its role in Virginia’s future.
In Northern Virginia, he has led the creation of several interdisciplinary initiatives such as the National Science Foundation-funded urban computing graduate certificate program that trains students in the use of data science and machine learning to study urban populations.