Sethuraman Panchanathan elected to Oak Ridge Associated Universities’ Board of Directors

For more than 60 years, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) has worked to bridge academic, government and scientific resources to advance national research priorities and keep the U.S. on the forefront of science, education, security and health.

ORAU announced Tuesday that Sethuraman Panchanathan, ASU’s chief research and innovation officer and executive vice president of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise Development, was elected to the Board of Directors, where he will play a role in guiding ORAU’s research and education initiatives. This marks the first time an administrator or faculty member from ASU has joined ORAU’s board.

“The accessibility to education and research opportunities is key to success and competitiveness, and I am delighted to join the board and assist in the advancement of our nation’s scientific progress,” Panchanathan said. “I look forward to forging new partnerships and building on ORAU’s leadership in global security and sustainability.”

A consortium of 121 American universities, ORAU collaborates with other national laboratories, government agencies and industry partners to accelerate research and education in the U.S. Headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the consortium provides services for science education and peer review, professional training, conducts environmental assessments and evaluates worker and public health, and contributes to national security and emergency preparedness. ORAU also manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.

“A core tenet of ASU and our knowledge enterprise is partnership and transdisciplinary collaboration," Panchanathan said. "It’s only through cooperation with other higher education institutions, as well as governmental agencies and private industry, that we can address the grand challenges of our time.” 

Prior to his election to the board, Panchanathan served as councilor to ORAU, beginning when ASU joined the consortium in April 2017. ASU is the only Arizona university to join ORAU. 

“We are pleased to have someone with Dr. Panchanathan’s caliber of expertise in research and innovation join ORAU’s Board of Directors,” ORAU CEO and President Andy Page said. “His depth of experience and prior appointments are impressive and we look forward to a strong and collaborative partnership with Dr. Panchanathan and Arizona State University that we hope will last for many years to come.”