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Lav Varshney to lead Stony Brook’s AI Innovation Institute
He will lead the institute fostering interdisciplinary research, and advancing the university’s role in AI leadership.
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Bhavana P - Thu, 05, Jun 2025
- 15:06 EDT
- 56
Lav Varshney / Photo: Della Perrone / Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois.
Stony Brook University has named Indian-American researcher Lav Varshney as the inaugural director of its newly launched Artificial Intelligence Innovation Institute (AI3).
He will also serve as the first Della Pietra Infinity Chair, a faculty position supported through gifts from the Della Pietra family.
As AI3 director, Varshney will lead interdisciplinary collaboration, shape the institute’s research trajectory, and build on the university’s role in Empire AI—New York State’s $250 million initiative to expand AI capacity.
Also read: University at Buffalo names Atri Rudra inaugural chair of AI department
Varshney joins Stony Brook from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he held multiple affiliations spanning electrical engineering, computer science, neuroscience, agriculture, and public policy. He is recognized for his interdisciplinary approach and extensive contributions to AI research, ethics, and innovation, the university said in a statement.
“Lav exemplifies the ethos and vision of Stony Brook’s AI3. He is committed to working across disciplines to find actionable solutions that will have a meaningful, positive impact on society,” said Carl W. Lejuez, executive vice president and provost.
“Under his leadership, the institute will serve to empower the entire university community and beyond, catalyzing core AI research, curriculum innovation, and societal change in the ever-evolving landscape of knowledge work. I am pleased to welcome him to the university,” Lejuez added.
“We are honored to have created the Della Pietra Infinity Chair and excited to welcome Lav Varshney to advance the field of artificial intelligence here at Stony Brook University. The Infinity Chair appointment represents a newly designed, prestigious endowed position awarded to faculty whose teaching and research have markedly advanced their fields of study,” said Vincent Della Pietra, a Stony Brook Foundation trustee.
Varshney’s background includes roles in academia, national labs, industry, and public service. He is a former White House Fellow and served on the National Security Council, contributing to AI policy at the national level. He has also held senior positions at IBM and Salesforce, where he helped develop pioneering generative AI technologies.
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