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, who is also co-director of the Institute of Chips & AI and co-director of CSME & CoCoSys. “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 is an expert in integrated circuits, artificial intelligence hardware and computing systems. At Purdue, his research focuses on designing technologies that make computing more efficient, secure and intelligent, with applications ranging from AI hardware to microelectronics. Raghunathan’s work has been recognized nationally for its impact on semiconductor research and AI hardware.

“ECE graduates will help shape the next generation of computing, automation and intelligent systems,” Raghunathan told the graduates. “The challenge before us is not only to build what is possible, but to build what is responsible, useful and humane.”

The Princeton recognition highlights Raghunathan’s continued impact as a researcher, educator and mentor whose work bridges advanced computing technologies with the broader responsibility of using those technologies wisely.

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