Indian-born educator Jayanthi Murthy has become the President of the Oregon State University (OSU) – one of the top Universities in the US renowned worldwide for its cutting- edge research & facilities particularly in the fields of Al, robotics & advanced technology. Murthy, 64 , is the first woman of colour to lead OSU that works on addressing some of the most pressing issues facing the planet from climate to sustainability. The 16th president of Oregon State University, Jayathi Y. Murthy, a leader in higher education engineering teaching, research, and service as well as fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, took office on Friday, September 9.
An IIT Kanpur alumni , Murthy is a leader in higher education engineering teaching , research & service. She is recognized as a champion for advancing diversity , equity & inclusion and has made it her top priority at OSU . “ Advancing diversity , equity & inclusion is a deeply held conviction of mine & is central to my work as an educator ,” she said
The Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, Murthy held the position until August. She will succeed Becky Johnson, who has served as acting president since May 1, 2021, after the Oregon State Board of Trustees chose her in June.
Murthy takes over as president of Oregon State at a time when the state’s largest university is experiencing considerable momentum. OSU has recently broken records in terms of enrollment, research, and philanthropy, and it graduates more than 7,400 students each year.
The 64-year-old Murthy served as UCLA’s engineering school’s first female dean. Expanding access to a UCLA engineering education was one of her primary priorities when she was president. As part of this, relationships with nearby community colleges were strengthened, outreach to underrepresented minority groups was expanded, and transfer student transitions were made easier.
At UCLA, the engineering school was led by Murthy, and it concentrated on developing in fields that are crucial to the 21st century, such as engineering in medicine and biology, sustainable and resilient urban systems, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, cybersecurity, and the future internet, robotics and cyberphysical systems, as well as advanced materials and manufacturing.
Murthy worked at the University of Texas at Austin, Purdue University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Arizona State University prior to joining UCLA. She was employed by Fluent, Inc., a creator and seller of the most popular computational fluid dynamics software in the world, from 1988 to 1998. Fluent, Inc. is situated in New Hampshire. She oversaw the creation of the algorithms and software that continue to be the foundation of the business’s offerings.
