June 2, 2026

Purdue ECE’s Anand Raghunathan honored by Princeton, addresses graduate commencement

Raghunathan was honored by Princeton University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with its Distinguished PhD Graduate Alumnus Award and served as the department’s 2026 graduate commencement speaker.
Two individuals smiling as they hold a framed certificate together. One is in a suit; the other wears academic regalia, conveying a celebratory tone.
Anand Raghunathan being presented with award by Claire Gmachl, Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University

Anand Raghunathan, Silicon Valley Professor in Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was honored by Princeton University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with its Distinguished PhD Graduate Alumnus Award and served as the department’s 2026 graduate commencement speaker.

In his remarks, Raghunathan encouraged graduates to think beyond technical achievement and consider the human impact of the technologies they will help create.

“We are entering a world where intelligence and automation is becoming increasingly abundant,” said Raghunathan. “But wisdom remains scarce. And wisdom — the ability to create technology responsibly, ethically, and humanely — may become the most important skill of all. Princeton has prepared you for this precisely because your education here was never solely about technical mastery. It was also about curiosity, integrity, intellectual rigor, humility, and service to something larger than yourself.”

Man giving a formal speech at a wooden podium during a university graduation ceremony, with audience members in caps and gowns, faculty seated on stage, flowers, and a portrait on a wood-paneled wall.
Anand Raghunathan (left) delivers the commencement address at Princeton University's ECE graduation

Raghunathan, who joined Purdue in 2008 after a career in the semiconductor industry, is an expert in integrated circuits, artificial intelligence hardware and energy-efficient computing systems. His recent research aims to enable a virtuous cycle between chips and AI – through the design of hardware that is optimized for AI as well as methodologies and tools for AI-driven design of computing systems. He co-directs the SRC/DARPA JUMP 2.0 Center for the Co-design of Cognitive Systems (CoCoSys) and the Purdue-led Center for a Secure Microelectronics Ecosystem (CSME). Raghunathan’s work has been recognized nationally for its impact on the semiconductor industry.

Source: In age of abundant intelligence, graduate commencement speaker stresses service and wisdom