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University of New Mexico names Indian-American as inaugural MathWorks chair
The AI scholar will advance research in trustworthy systems, autonomy, and computing at the birthplace of MATLAB.
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Anushka Pathak - Sat, 04, Oct 2025
- 14:21 EDT
- 18
Pavithra Prabhakar / Courtesy: LinkedIn via Pavithra Prabhakar
The University of New Mexico (UNM) has appointed Indian-American computer scientist Pavithra Prabhakar as the first Cleve Moler and MathWorks Endowed Chair in Mathematical and Engineering Software.
The position, backed by a $2 million endowment from MathWorks, recognizes UNM’s historic role as the birthplace of MATLAB and aims to strengthen its global leadership in software, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems research.
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Prabhakar, an internationally recognized authority in trustworthy AI and machine learning for safety-critical systems, will assume the role in December. She joins UNM from Kansas State University, where she serves as the Peggy and Gary Edwards Chair in Engineering and a professor of computer science.
“UNM is an incredible place with excellent faculty,” Prabhakar said. “Given that I work at the intersection of computer science, engineering, and mathematics, I’m looking forward to building collaborations and advancing research in trustworthy AI and autonomy.”
Donna Riley, dean of engineering and computing, said the position represents both legacy and vision: “This funding was essential in helping us attract senior faculty at the absolute top of the field.”
Prabhakar’s appointment reinforces UNM’s ties to MathWorks and its national laboratories. Her work focuses on ensuring the safety, reliability, and verifiability of AI in high-stakes applications such as autonomous vehicles, robotic surgery, and cyber-physical systems.
Her career has spanned Caltech, Spain’s IMDEA Software Institute, and a leadership role at the U.S. National Science Foundation, where she oversaw a $100 million research portfolio across 200 projects.
At UNM, Prabhakar plans to expand collaborations with Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories while building new educational and research programs in verifiable AI and autonomous systems. “Her expertise will further enhance the department’s strengths in AI, robotics, and cyber-physical systems,” said Shuang (Sean) Luan, acting chair of Computer Science.
She has published over 50 research papers and received top honors, including the NSF CAREER Award, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and a 2021 Amazon Research Award.
Originally from Hassan, Karnataka, India, Prabhakar holds degrees from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she earned her Ph.D. in computer science.
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