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R. Srikant directs UIUC supercomputing center
The facility is renowned as one of the leading high-performance computing research centers in the United States.
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Staff Reporter - Wed, 25, Mar 2026
- 16:14 EDT
- 19
R. Srikant / ncsa.illinois.edu
Indian American professor R. Srikant took the helm as director of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), earlier this year.
Srikant joined NCSA from the university’s Grainger College of Engineering, where he served as Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering and professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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“I’m very excited to begin this new journey with NCSA,” Srikant said upon taking office. “My focus is on supporting our excellent researchers and staff, strengthening collaboration across the center, and ensuring that NCSA continues to thrive in its research, service and impact missions.”
Srikant is not new to the center. He previously served as acting director of operations at NCSA in 2023 and has worked closely with its high-performance computing teams through research collaborations.
His appointment comes as NCSA marks its 40th anniversary.
“I am confident that Srikant’s expertise and collaborative approach will be invaluable at NCSA,” said senior vice chancellor for Research and Innovation Susan Martinis.
“As we celebrate NCSA’s 40th anniversary this year, I know that Srikant’s vision for what’s ahead will propel us into another 40 years of innovation in AI, machine learning and other accelerating areas in the research landscape for computing,” Martinis added.
In his first month as director, Srikant hosted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for a tour of the National Petascale Computing Facility. Their discussions focused on artificial intelligence, quantum computing and the role of high-performance computing in Illinois’ economy.
“Meeting with Gov. Pritzker was a rewarding opportunity to showcase how NCSA’s innovations resonate from Illinois to the global stage,” Srikant said. “We’re proud to be at the forefront of advanced computing that drives transformative economic growth and industrial leadership across our state.”
Srikant’s research spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, communication networks, quantum computing and applied probability. His work on the mathematical analysis and design of algorithms for the internet, wireless networks and data centers has earned him major honors, including the IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award and the ACM SIGMETRICS Achievement Award. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
More than 25 of his former students and postdoctoral researchers now serve as faculty members at leading institutions, including Columbia University, the University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Tech, Northwestern University and the University of Texas at Austin. Others hold senior research and leadership roles at companies including Nvidia, Amazon, Google and Meta.
Srikant earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and completed his master’s and doctorate in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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