Speeches

2026 Tech Summit

Thursday, June 18

Welcome to our second Tech Summit! These events help us strengthen the bonds between Purdue and Silicon Valley.

I’m Mark Lundstrom, and it is a very great honor for me to be serving as the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. And for more than 40 years, I’ve been a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. I left a job in industry 49 years ago and came to Purdue to earn a PhD with the intention to get right back into industry … but plans change, unexpected opportunities arise, and when I think back on almost 50 years of being part of the growth and development at Purdue and playing a role in educating thousands of young people who have gone on to successful careers, it has been an amazing experience. I’m convinced that there is no finer example of a large, public, research university than Purdue.

Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the transition that is underway at Purdue. As many of you know, on June 1, the former dean of engineering, Arvind Raman, began serving as U.S. undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology, and director of NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Those of us who have worked closely with Arvind are sad to see him leave, but we are also incredibly proud. When our nation calls on one of our own, it is both a tremendous honor and a reflection of the reputation Purdue Engineering has built. Some of you will recall that in 2020, then-dean of engineering, Mung Chiang, was called upon to serve as science advisor to the secretary of state. (I served as acting dean during that time.) Just a few months ago, AAE Professor Joe Jewell, an expert in the science and technology of hypersonics, was called to Washington to serve as assistant secretary of war for science and technology. MSE professor Carol Handwerker currently serves as head of technology strategy in the CHIPS Program Office at the Department of Commerce. ECE Professor Dana Weinstein recently spent a year at OSTP, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

When Arvind became dean, he challenged us with an ambitious vision: to become the most consequential engineering college in the nation, and the country’s increasing reliance on Purdue leaders is an example of being consequential.

A lot has been accomplished under Dean Raman’s leadership, and I only have time to mention a few things.

  • Purdue is now the nation's largest producer of BS, MS and PhDs.
  • The average time to complete a BS engineering degree is now < 4 years.
  • Purdue now leads the nation in market demand.
  • Our graduate program is now ranked #4 by U.S. News.
  • Our online MS programs are ranked #1 by U.S. News in all of the ranked engineering specialties.
  • Next year, Purdue will become the first university to crew and operate its own suborbital spaceflight – the Purdue 1 Virgin Galactic mission. You’ll hear later from two of the crew and two of the researchers whose experiments will take place on Purdue 1.
  • Very recently, we established the Neil Armstrong Space Prize and announced the inaugural recipient – the Falcon 9 Booster Landing Team (one of whom is a Purdue alum) for their paradigm-shifting work on the Falcon 9 reusable two-stage rocket system.

And there is much, much more happening, some of which you’ll hear about today in our panels on Physical AI, Nuclear Energy, and Space.

Arvind and I have worked closely for several years and share a vision of Purdue Engineering as the nation’s leading example of affordable excellence at scale. The transition from Arvind to me should be a smooth one.

There’s one more transition that I should mention. As you may have heard, Mung Chiang will become president of Northwestern University on July 1. Mung has accomplished a lot in more than nine years at Purdue, and we wish him well in his new endeavor. The transition from Mitch Daniels to Mung was a smooth one, and Mitch will step in as interim president on July 1 to provide us with continuity as we search for the next president, who will be the seventh I’ve served under; we’re fortunate to have a strong, steady board of trustees that has provided consistent support and direction over the years.

None of the accomplishments I’ve mentioned belong to any one person. Purdue's progress has always been the result of talented faculty, dedicated staff, ambitious students, loyal alumni, committed industry partners, and generous supporters working together toward a common goal. That kind of support from people like you will be even more important over the next few years because this is a critical time for universities.

There are some real challenges ahead. Families are increasingly focused on affordability and value. AI is changing not only how and what engineers build but also how students learn and how universities teach. The federal research ecosystem that has powered American innovation for 75 years is rapidly changing. State budgets are tight. And across the country, universities are being asked to demonstrate their relevance and impact in new ways.

But I’m not pessimistic; I’m energized. I firmly believe that institutions like Purdue are more important than ever. We will need to preserve our core strengths and adapt to new realities, but thanks to the leadership of people like Arvind Raman and Mung Chiang, and supporters like you, Purdue is better positioned than most universities to address the challenges of today, to seize new opportunities, and together, we’ll write the next chapter in Purdue’s proud history.

Now, on with the program! As you take in these discussions, think about how you can connect with Purdue students, faculty and researchers and your industry colleagues. We don’t want to be an ivory tower. Our goal is to bridge the gap between academic research and industry practice to serve the world around us.

Now, before I invite Chris Malachowsky, founder and NVIDIA fellow, to the stage for our fireside chat, let me tell you a few words about him.

Chris founded NVIDIA in 1993 and has more than 40 years of industry experience. He serves as a member of the executive staff and is a senior technology executive for the company. Chris has been instrumental in managing, defining and driving the company’s core technologies as it has grown from a startup to the global leader it is today. As an executive at NVIDIA, he has led numerous functions. Most recently, he was responsible for NVIDIA’s world-class research organization.

Prior to NVIDIA, Chris held engineering and technical leadership positions at HP and Sun Microsystems. His BSEE degree is from the University of Florida, another fine land grant university, and he has an MSCS degree from Santa Clara University. He has also received an Emmy Award, something that I hope to ask him about.

Please join me in welcoming Chris Malachowsky.