Arvind Raman
Acting head, U.S. CAISI; Director, NIST
The director of NIST, the US standards agency, is a mechanical engineer whose research has focused on atomic force microscopes.
- Born
- India
- Now
- Director of NIST; acting head of CAISI, NIST
- Studied
- UC Berkeley, Purdue University, IIT Delhi
Interesting facts
- Before AI
A mechanical engineer by training, he built his research career on atomic force microscopes, which image and measure materials at the nanoscale.
nist.gov - Connection
Worked with NIST nanotechnology researchers from early in his career, decades before he was picked to run the agency.
nist.gov - Numbers
As Purdue's engineering dean, oversaw a college that grants more engineering degrees a year than any other university, with tuition frozen for 14 years.
nist.gov - Turning point
Sworn in as NIST director on June 30, 2026; three weeks later he also took over the US AI testing centre after its director quit.
executivegov.com - In their words
On the US Center for AI Standards and Innovation: "We are not regulatory by any means."
time.com - Side project
Led the US delegation at the 2026 world conference on weights and measures, which set a 2030 target for redefining the second.
linkedin.com
Career
- NISTDirector of NIST; acting head of CAISI, CAISI2026 to now
- Purdue UniversityJohn A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering, College of Engineering2000–2026
Education
- PhD, Mechanical engineering, UC Berkeley, 1999
- MS, Mechanical engineering, Purdue University, 1993
- BTech, Mechanical engineering, IIT Delhi, 1991