Aug. 8, 2024 — The Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA) has named former IBM Research executive Chandrasekhar “Spike” Narayan as its interim executive director.
ERVA, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative, unites the engineering community to envision and articulate bold research directions and catalyze new efforts to address some of society’s most vexing challenges. Since its launch in April 2021, ERVA has convened nationally recognized engineering research leaders at a dozen visioning events on a range of topics, including climate change, quantum technologies, sustainable materials, and AI engineering. ERVA’s visioning reports provide the research community with actionable research topics and a roadmap for engineering to lead in science and technology.
Narayan is a seasoned Silicon Valley executive. Most recently, he managed IBM’s California Research Lab, focused on innovative research in AI, semiconductor technology, and quantum computing. He was responsible for driving science and technology at the lab, leading fundamental and applied research. He brings expertise in a range of research topics, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence hardware, advanced materials development, computation and characterization, next-gen storage technologies, and materials discovery. Narayan, who holds a doctorate in metallurgy and materials engineering from Lehigh University, has more than 50 U.S. patents to his credit.
Narayan has been active in ERVA’s leadership since its launch, most recently serving as the co-chair of ERVA’s Standing Council, the body of engineering experts that assesses and selects ERVA’s visioning themes.
“Spike brings a wealth of knowledge of how breakthrough engineering research ideas produce tomorrow’s products and services that improve the lives of people everywhere,” said Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, Ph.D., ERVA’s principal investigator and the incoming vice chancellor for research at the University of Wisconsin Madison. “His thoughtful insight about topics ripe for engineering research pursuit is well known in the ERVA community, and he brings incredible real-world experience to this role.”
ERVA is an engaged, inclusive, multi-sector partnership designed to leverage a diverse array of voices to elicit future research topics and support the nation’s leadership in engineering innovation and discovery. Funded with a five-year, $8 million award from the NSF, the initiative convenes, catalyzes and empowers the engineering community to identify nascent opportunities and priorities for engineering-led innovative, high-impact, cross-domain, fundamental research that addresses national, global and societal needs.
ERVA’s founding partners are the Big Ten Academic Alliance; the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)/Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Foundation (EIF); and the UIDP. Everyone interested in the future of engineering is encouraged to engage by becoming an ERVA Champion, including the general public; students at all levels; researchers, faculty and deans in small and large college engineering programs; and professionals in industry, from engineers to CEOs.
Get involved with ERVA and learn about its upcoming visioning activities at www.ERVAcommunity.org and follow @ERVAcommunity and the hashtag #ERVAcommunity on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
About ERVA
The Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA) is a neutral convener that helps define future engineering research directions. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering, ERVA is a diverse, inclusive and engaged partnership that enables an array of voices to impact national research priorities. The five-year initiative convenes, catalyzes and empowers the engineering community to identify nascent opportunities and priorities for engineering-led innovative, high-impact, cross-domain research that addresses national, global and societal needs. Learn more at www.ERVAcommunity.org.