Subhachandra Chandra and his wife, Nandita Chandra. / Binghamton University

The Subhachandra and Nandita Chandra Endowed Professorship will be established at Binghamton University's Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science through a gift from Indian American alumnus Subhachandra Chandra and his wife, Nandita Chandra, to support faculty whose research applies artificial intelligence in innovative ways across disciplines.

The endowed professorship will support an associate professor or professor whose work incorporates AI, regardless of academic field. According to the university, the position is intended to encourage the integration of AI into areas such as medicine, environmental sciences and manufacturing.

“Challenges always create new opportunities,” Subhachandra Chandra told the university, who earned a master's degree from Binghamton University in 1995. “It’s not just using AI within the tech sector, however — it's also about how we apply AI to everything else. How do we best use AI for medicine, environmental sciences, manufacturing, or anything else that you can think of? We can use the power of AI to improve things across the world in many areas.”

ALSO READ: Indian-origin faculty honored at UT Dallas teaching ceremony

The Chandras have supported Binghamton University for more than two decades through initiatives including the Watson College Scholars Program, the Chandra Family Scholarship and the Binghamton Fund for Watson College. The new professorship expands their existing support for the institution.

University President Anne D’Alleva said endowed professorships help attract and retain faculty conducting significant research.

“Endowed professorships are a powerful way to support and retain faculty who are doing novel and valuable work, and I am incredibly grateful to the Chandras for their gift on behalf of Watson College,” D’Alleva told the university.

Watson College Dean Atul Kelkar said the professorship will strengthen the college's research capabilities and support future academic initiatives. He added that philanthropic support plays an important role in advancing research and enhancing students' academic experiences.

Vice President for Advancement David K. Whitmore said the gift will help expand the university's work involving artificial intelligence and support future research efforts.

Born in India, Chandra came to Binghamton to pursue a master's degree in computer science as part of Distinguished Professor Kanad Ghose's research group. He said graduate assistantships provided by the university made it possible for him to study in the United States.

“Watson and Binghamton did a fantastic job of setting me up for success,” Chandra told the university. “It gave me an opportunity to come to the United States and to learn about the latest in computing that was not available in India. Looking back, the University was a critical stepping-stone to future success elsewhere.”

After graduating from Binghamton, Chandra earned a doctorate in computer science from the University of Michigan in 2000. He later worked on software systems and platforms in the San Francisco Bay Area and is now co-founder and chief technology officer of Aria Networks, a startup focused on networking infrastructure for AI applications.

ALSO READ: Indian American endows teaching award at Stony Brook

Chandra said universities and industry benefit from working together, with academic research contributing to technological advances that can later be applied in the private sector.

“In the corporate sector, we build startups in Silicon Valley, but a lot of it is based on fundamental research that comes out of universities,” he said. “That research drives the rest of our technology ecosystem across the United States, and that’s how we can keep ahead of the rest of the world. Funding research through professorships and other ways feels like a good investment.”

The endowment may also be used to support research-related expenses, including equipment, travel, publication costs, student stipends and grant application funding. University officials said the gift provides flexibility for Watson College to adapt its priorities as technology and research needs evolve.

“Nandita and I are always interested in academia, since both of us are PhD's and our own advisors in our PhD programs had named professorships,” Chandra told the university. “We also know that when you recruit professors, funding is always a bit of a challenge. It takes some time to get grants and other funding.”

Discover more at New India Abroad.