Garud Iyengar named Director of Columbia Data Science Institute

Indian American professor Garud Iyengar has been appointed as the next Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University. He will begin as DSI Director on July 1.

Currently the Tang Family Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and Vice Dean of Research, Iyengar will play a key role in leading Columbia’s AI initiative, identified as a key University priority.

“Iyengar brings a wealth of experience in academic leadership and long record of success in convening faculty from disparate fields to tackle pressing interdisciplinary challenges,” Interim Provost Dennis A. Mitchell, stated announcing Iyengar’s appointment.

“As the Data Science Institute builds on its decade-plus record of remarkable success in advancing the frontiers of the field, developing collaborations across Columbia’s many schools, and training the next generation of data science leaders, it is in exceptionally capable hands,” he added.

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“I am honored to lead the Data Science Institute as we continue to advance the frontiers of the field and train the next generation of data science leaders,” said Iyengar. “I am excited to build upon the institute’s decade-plus record of success and further strengthen its impact across Columbia’s diverse schools,” he added.

With artificial intelligence identified as one of the key priorities for the University in the coming years, under Iyengar’s direction, DSI will partner with EVP for Research Jeannette Wing and Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang in leading Columbia’s AI initiative, the announcement stated.

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Iyengar has been a member of the Columbia Engineering faculty since 1998. He is currently the Senior Vice Dean for Research and Academic Programs, leading educational programs, and large-scale interdisciplinary research at the school.

Iyengar has played a central roles at DSI since its founding. He was Associate Director for Research from 2017-19 and helped launch the Institute’s PhD concentration, seed fund program, and postdoc program.

His own research has brought significant advances to the study of information, control, and optimization, and his current work addresses a broad range of domains, including cellular signaling, labor platforms, power networks, supply chains, and causal inference.

Iyengar received a B Tech in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1993 and a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1998. He is a member of Columbia’s Data Science Institute