Arati Prabhakar

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Arati Prabhakar

| image = Arati Prabhakar, OSTP Director.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2024

| office = 12th Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy

| president = Joe Biden

| term_start = October 3, 2022

| term_end = January 20, 2025

| predecessor = Alondra Nelson (acting)

| successor = Michael Kratsios

| office1 = 22nd Science Advisor to the President

| president1 = Joe Biden

| term_start1 = October 3, 2022

| term_end1 = January 20, 2025

| predecessor1 = Francis Collins (acting)

| successor1 = Michael Kratsios

| office2 = 20th Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

| president2 = Barack Obama

| term_start2 = July 30, 2012

| term_end2 = January 20, 2017

| predecessor2 = Regina E. Dugan

| successor2 = Steven Walker

| office3 = 10th Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

| president3 = Bill Clinton

| term_start3 = 1993

| term_end3 = 1997

| predecessor3 = John Lyons

| successor3 = Raymond Kammer

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|2|2}}

| birth_place = New Delhi, India

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Democratic

| spouse =

| children = 2

| citizenship = India (1959–67)
United States (1967–present)

| education = Texas Tech University (BS)
California Institute of Technology (MS, PhD)

|module = {{Infobox scientist

|embed = yes

|fields = Applied physics

|workplaces = National Institute of Standards and Technology
U.S. Venture Partners
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

|thesis_title = Investigation of Deep Level Defects in Semiconductor Material Systems

|thesis_url = https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-06212004-160535

|thesis_year = 1985

|doctoral_advisor = Thomas McGill}}

|module2 = {{Listen

|pos = center

|embed = yes

|filename = Arati Prabhakar speaks on the role of technical experience within a governmental role.ogg

|title = Prabhakar's voice

|type = speech

|description = Prabhakar on the role of technical experience within a governmental position
Recorded July 20, 2022}}

}}

Arati Prabhakar (born February 2, 1959) is an American engineer and public official. From October 3, 2022 to January 20, 2025, she served as the 12th director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Science Advisor to the President.{{cite web|title=White House unveils 'AI bill of rights' as 'call to action' to rein in tool|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/04/white-house-unveils-ai-bill-rights-call-action-rein-tool/|website=washingtonpost.com|access-date=2022-10-05}}{{cite web|title=Senate Confirms Prabhakar to Lead White House Science Office|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/senate-confirms-prabhakar-to-lead-white-house-science-office|website=bloomberglaw.com|access-date=2022-10-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/aamc-statement-nomination-arati-prabhakar-phd-be-white-house-science-advisor-and-director-office|title=AAMC Statement on the Nomination of Arati Prabhakar, PhD, to be White House Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy|website=AAMC}}

From 1993 to 1997, Prabhakar served as the 10th Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the first woman to hold the position.{{cite news |last=Holusha |first=John |date=1993-08-01 |title=Profile/Arati Prabhakar; She's Not Just Setting Standards |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/01/business/profile-arati-prabhakar-she-s-not-just-setting-standards.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |accessdate=2012-08-25}}Gibbs, W. W. (1995) Profile: Arati Prabhakar – Engineering the Future, Scientific American 272(4), 44–48.{{cite journal |date=16 March 2010 |title=Directors of the National Bureau of Standards (1901–1988) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (1988–present) |url=https://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/factsheet/directors.cfm |journal=NIST |accessdate=2012-08-30}} Prabhakar served as 20th Director of DARPA (United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) from 2012 to 2017. In 2019, she founded and became CEO of Actuate, a data-focused nonprofit organization.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-21 |title=President Biden to Nominate Dr. Arati Prabhakar to Lead Office of Science and Technology Policy |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/21/president-biden-to-nominate-dr-arati-prabhakar-to-lead-office-of-science-and-technology-policy/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=The White House |language=en-US |quote="In 2019, she founded Actuate, a non-profit organization bringing new actors to the table to develop solutions to the challenges of climate, health, trustworthy data and information technology, and opening access to opportunity for every person."}}

Early life and education

Prabhakar's family immigrated to the United States from New Delhi, India, when she was three;{{cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-born-arati-prabhakar-us-defense-advanced-research-projects-agency/1/207765.html|title=Delhi-born Arati Prabhakar is new head of US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency|first=Manoj|last=Joshi|work=India Today|date=2012-07-12|accessdate=2012-08-26}} her mother was seeking an advanced degree in social work in Chicago. Prabhakar grew up in Lubbock, Texas, from age ten.{{cite magazine |last=Shachtman |first=Noah |date=2012-07-10 |title=Exclusive: Darpa Gets a New Boss, and Solyndra Is in Her Past |url=https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/07/darpa-solyndra/ |magazine=Wired |accessdate=2012-08-25}} Her mother encouraged her to pursue a doctorate from a very early age.{{cite news|title=Family Expectations Spawn Successful Careers|first=Katherine|last=Olstein|work=IEEE SSCS News|publisher=IEEE|date=Spring 2008|pages=34–35|doi=10.1109/N-SSC.2008.4785747}}{{cite web|url=http://www.eas.caltech.edu/engenious/eight/alumni_prabhakar|title=Alumni Profile: Arati Prabhakar|year=2011|work=Engenious|publisher=UC Berkeley College of Engineering|accessdate=2012-08-25|archive-date=2014-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016014829/http://www.eas.caltech.edu/engenious/eight/alumni_prabhakar|url-status=dead}}

In 1979, she obtained a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www1.eere.energy.gov/eere_advisory_committee/pdfs/erac_arati_prabhakar.pdf |title=Dr. Arati Prabhakar |work=Efficiency & Renewables Advisory Committee |publisher=United States Department of Energy |accessdate=2012-08-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925042746/http://www1.eere.energy.gov/eere_advisory_committee/pdfs/erac_arati_prabhakar.pdf |archivedate=2012-09-25 }} She earned an M.S. degree in electrical engineering in 1980 and a Ph.D. in applied physics in 1984, both from the California Institute of Technology.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/nii/Prabhakar.html|title=Dr. Arati Prabhakar|work=The National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Action|publisher=ibiblio|accessdate=2012-08-27}}{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/distinguishedasi00kimh|url-access=registration|quote=Arati Prabhakar 1959.|title=Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary|first=Hyung-Chan|last=Kim|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1999|isbn=978-0313289026|pages=[https://archive.org/details/distinguishedasi00kimh/page/289 289]–292}}{{cite thesis |url=https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-06212004-160535 |title=Investigation of deep level defects in semiconductor material systems |date=1985 |publisher=California Institute of Technology |type=Ph.D. |last=Prabhakar |first=Arati |oclc=31089816 |id={{ProQuest|303375005}} |doi=10.7907/BNQT-B222}} She was the first woman to earn a PhD in applied physics from Caltech.

Career

After receiving her PhD, she went to Washington, D.C., on a 1984 to 1986 congressional fellowship with the Office of Technology Assessment. Prabhakar subsequently worked at DARPA from 1986 to 1993, initially as a program manager but later as founding director of DARPA's Microelectronics Technology Office.

At the age of 34, Prabhakar was appointed as head of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a position she held from 1993 to 1997. After NIST, she was the Chief Technology Officer and senior vice president of Raychem from 1997 to 1998.{{cite web|url=http://www.darpa.mil/About/Leadership/Director_Bio_Dr_Arati_Prabhakar.aspx |title=Arati Prabhakar |publisher=DARPA |accessdate=2012-08-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806041730/http://www.darpa.mil/About/Leadership/Director_Bio_Dr_Arati_Prabhakar.aspx |archivedate=2012-08-06 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/arati-prabhakar/7/673/a36|title=Arati Prabhakar|publisher=LinkedIn|accessdate=2012-08-25}} She was then the vice president and later president of Interval Research from 1998 to 2000.

She joined U.S. Venture Partners from 2001 to 2011, focusing on investment in green technology and information technology startups. On July 30, 2012, she became the head of DARPA, replacing Regina E. Dugan. She left DARPA in January 2017.{{Cite web |last=Nicholas |first=Scott |date=2017-12-29 |title=DARPA Appoints Steven Walker Full-Time Director |url=https://executivegov.com/2017/12/darpa-appoints-steven-walker-full-time-director/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |language=en-US |quote="He succeeds Arati Prabhakar, who left DARPA in January and now serves as a fellow at Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences..."}}

Prabhakar was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford 2017–18.{{Cite web|url=https://casbs.stanford.edu/people/arati-prabhakar|title=Arati Prabhakar {{!}} Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences|website=casbs.stanford.edu|access-date=2019-07-28}} In 2019, she started Actuate, a nonprofit organization focused on issues including climate change and chronic diseases.{{Cite web |last=Southwick |first=Ron |date=2022-06-27 |title=How Biden's nominee for science adviser would make history |url=https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/how-biden-s-nominee-for-science-adviser-would-make-history |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=OncLive |language=en}}

= Biden Administration =

In 2022, Prabhakar was appointed by President Joe Biden as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Science Advisor to the President. This made her the first woman, person of color, and immigrant, to be the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy,{{Cite web|url=https://elements.lbl.gov/news/prabhakar-confirmed-to-head-white-house-ostp/|title=Prabhakar Confirmed to Head White House OSTP – Elements for Berkeley Lab|date=September 27, 2022|website=Elements}} and the first woman and first person of color to be the Science Advisor to the President.{{Cite web|url=https://news.abplive.com/news/world/arati-prabhakar-indian-origin-physicist-set-to-become-joe-biden-science-adviser-know-about-her-in-details-1537321|title=Who is Arati Prabhakar? Indian-Origin Physicist Set To Become US President's Science Adviser|date=June 14, 2022|website=news.abplive.com}}

Prabhakar has notably advised Biden on matters regarding artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, where she has endorsed AI safeguards.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-21 |title=White House science adviser calls for more safeguards against artificial intelligence risks |url=https://apnews.com/article/biden-artificial-intelligence-ai-safeguards-arati-prabhakar-a0fbc6d6adbf5ccc3c439eab7faddb92 |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=AP News |language=en}}

She is credited for shaping digital policies and the semiconductors industrial strategy under the Biden administration.{{cite magazine |last=Levy|first=Steven|date=1 May 2024|title=Meet the Woman Who Showed President Biden ChatGPT—and Helped Set the Course for AI |url=https://www.wired.com/story/arati-prabhakar-ostp-biden-science-tech-adviser/ |magazine=WIRED|location= |publisher= |access-date= 8 February 2025}}

Awards and memberships

Prabhakar is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and was named IEEE Fellow in 1997 for "leadership in partnering between industry and government to promote economic growth through the development of manufacturing technologies for semiconductor devices".{{cite web|url=http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/fellows/women.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407141944/http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/fellows/women.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 7, 2010|title=Women Fellows|publisher=IEEE|accessdate=2012-08-25}} She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.{{Cite web|url=https://nae.edu/149826/Dr-Arati-Prabhakar|title=Dr. Arati Prabhakar|website=NAE Website|access-date=2019-07-28}} She has also been named a Texas Tech Distinguished Engineer and a Distinguished Alumna of California Institute of Technology.

She is a member of the governing board for the Pew Research Center{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/about/our-governing-board/|title=Our Governing Board|website=Pew Research Center|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-28}} and a member of the U.S. National Academies' Science Technology and Economic Policy Board.{{Cite web|url=http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/step/PGA_043840|title=Membership|website=sites.nationalacademies.org|access-date=2019-07-28}} She was a member of the board of directors of SRI International in 2012,{{cite news|url=http://www.sri.com/newsroom/press-releases/dr-arati-prabhakar-joins-sri-international-board-directors|title=Dr. Arati Prabhakar Joins SRI International Board of Directors|publisher=SRI International|date=2012-03-26|accessdate=2012-03-25|archive-date=2012-07-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703072942/http://www.sri.com/newsroom/press-releases/dr-arati-prabhakar-joins-sri-international-board-directors|url-status=dead}} and was also a member of the U.S. National Academies' Science Technology and Economic Policy Board and the College of Engineering Advisory Board at the University of California, Berkeley.{{cite news|url=http://staging.theinstitute.ieee.org/people/achievements/achievements-august-2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415014751/http://staging.theinstitute.ieee.org/people/achievements/achievements-august-2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 15, 2013|title=Achievements: August 2012|work=The Institute|publisher=IEEE|date=2012-08-27|accessdate=2012-08-25}}

Prabhakar is featured in the Notable Women in Computing cards.{{Cite web| title = Notable Women in Computing| url = http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/wikipedia/cards.html}}

In 2024 TIME magazine listed Prabhakar among 100 most influential people in AI.{{cite magazine |last=Booth|first= Harry|date= 5 September 2024 |title=Arati Prabhakar|url=https://time.com/7012807/arati-prabhakar/|magazine=TIME100 AI 2024 |location= |publisher=TIME magazine |access-date=8 February 2025}}

References

External links

[https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/46717 Interview of Arati Prabhakar by David Zierler on August 11, 2020, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA]
{{C-SPAN|70529}}

{{s-ttl|title=Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology|years=1993–1997}}

{{s-ttl|title=Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency|years=2012–2017}}

{{s-ttl|title=Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy|years=2022–2025}}