The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan

The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan
University Professor of Technology and Innovation
Foundation Chair in Computing and Augmented Intelligence
Arizona State University

The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan is a computer scientist and engineer. He is a leader in the fields of science, engineering, and education, with more than three decades of experience in
higher education and government. Throughout his career, he has designed and built knowledge enterprises aimed at advancing research innovation, strategic partnerships, entrepreneurship,
global development, and economic growth.

From 2020-2025, he served as the 15th Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), a $9 billion independent federal agency and the only government agency charged with advancing all fields of scientific discovery, technological innovation, and STEM education. During his tenure, he established the first new directorate in 31 years, the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, aimed at delivering “Innovation Everywhere for Everyone” by accelerating the translation of science and technology for economic progress, national security, and societal
impact.

Panchanathan currently serves as the University Professor of Technology and Innovation at Arizona State University, where he has held a faculty appointment since 1997. His previous roles at ASU include leading the university’s research portfolio as the executive vice president of the ASU Knowledge Enterprise and the chief research and innovation officer. Under his leadership, ASU
increased its research performance fivefold, earning recognition as the fastest growing and most innovative research university in the U.S. Panchanathan has received numerous recognitions for his scientific work during his career; in 2025, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards bestowed by the Government of India, in recognition of his distinguished contributions to science. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors as well as a Member of the National Academy of Engineering. In April 2026, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego appointed him to lead the Phoenix Quantum Strategy to unite government, industry, and academia to accelerate development in quantum computing, communication, and sensing.

Panchanathan received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computing Engineering from the University of Ottawa. He is married to Sarada “Soumya” Panchanathan, an academic pediatrician and
informatician, who has taught medical students, pediatric residents and informatics fellows. They have two adult children, Amritha and Roshan, and three grandchildren.

Prof. Mikko Rönkkö

Mikko Rönkkö is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics (JSBE) and a Docent at Aalto University School of Science in the field of statistical
methods in management research, where he also completed his doctorate. He is recognized as one of the leading quantitative research experts in management, with research interests spanning
growth entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial software companies, and quantitative research methods in management research. He is currently the most cited professor in business studies at JSBE
according to ISI Web of Science data, and ranks as the highest impact researcher at JSBE in the Stanford/Elsevier’s Top 2% Scientist Rankings.

Dr. Rönkkö serves as an Associate Editor for *Organizational Research Methods* and is on the editorial board of *Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice*. Previously, he served as department
editor in the *Journal of Operations Management*, handling methodological articles. His excellence in reviewing has been recognized through multiple awards, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Journal of Operations Management.

He maintains an influential research methods-focused YouTube channel with over 10,000 subscribers and more than 1 million views at (https://www.youtube.com/mronkko), providing
extensive digital learning materials including over 300 professional-quality video lectures. 

In addition to his academic career, Dr. Rönkkö has significant entrepreneurial experience, having founded three companies. Most notably, he founded aTalent Recruiting, which now has
consolidated revenues in the €5-10M class and continues to fulfill its social mission of connecting companies with the right talent.