WASHINGTON — Arvind Raman was sworn in on June 30, 2026, as the fifth under secretary of commerce for standards and technology and the 18th director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. As one of the nation’s longest-running physical science laboratories, NIST conducts research and standards development activities that support innovation in a wide array of disciplines, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, cybersecurity, manufacturing and biotechnology. Raman was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 18, 2026.
“We are excited to have Dr. Arvind Raman join Commerce as NIST’s new director,” said Secretary Lutnick. “His experience in conducting and leading innovative research will be a tremendous asset to the Department of Commerce and help American technology and manufacturing continue to thrive.”
“NIST is one of America’s most important science institutions thanks to its unique mission and the expertise of its employees,” said Raman. “I am honored to be nominated to this position by President Trump and Secretary Lutnick, and I look forward to maximizing NIST’s ability to accelerate American innovation through partnerships with industry, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.”
In February 2023, Raman was named as the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering at Purdue University in Indiana. Starting as an assistant professor at Purdue in 2000, he received multiple awards for teaching and was appointed the Robert V. Adams Professor of Engineering in 2012. His research has focused on atomic force microscopy, human biomechanics and electronics manufacturing. Starting early in his career, he has often collaborated with NIST researchers in nanotechnology.
Under Raman’s leadership as dean of engineering at Purdue, the university now grants more engineering degrees annually than any other university; leads in market demand, receiving more applications for engineering majors than any other university; and has reduced the average time to graduate with a B.S. degree in engineering to under four years for the first time in the college’s history, all while holding tuition frozen for 14 years. Purdue Engineering’s U.S. News ranking for research continuously rose in the past three years, to the top four in the country in 2026, with record-breaking research expenditures and philanthropic dollars raised under Raman’s leadership.
As director, Raman will guide NIST’s collaborative efforts with industry, academia and other government agencies to develop and apply the technology, measurements and standards needed to create innovative U.S. products and services. He will also steer NIST’s work to accelerate American technological innovation through research and development that supports science-based standards and to maximize innovation by fostering research that applies AI to the development of semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
Raman’s honors and awards include the Gustus Larson Memorial Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Keeley fellowship from the University of Oxford, and a National Science Foundation CAREER award. In 2008 he was named a Purdue University Faculty Scholar, and in 2012 he was elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and in 2026 a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Raman has a bachelor of technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by making essential contributions to industry, science, public safety and national security.
Source: NIST