New NIST director Arvind Raman to lead standards work across AI, quantum and cybersecurity

The former Purdue engineering dean has been sworn in as under secretary of commerce for standards and technology and the 18th director of NIST . Arvind Raman has been sworn in as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Arvind Raman has taken over as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology , placing a former Purdue University engineering dean at the head of a U.S. agency working across AI standards, cybersecurity , quantum technology and advanced manufacturing. Raman was sworn in on June 30, 2026, as the 18th director of NIST and the fifth under secretary of commerce for standards and technology. The U.S. Senate confirmed him on May 18. NIST conducts research and develops standards used across science, industry, public safety and national security. Its current remit includes artificial intelligence, quantum technology, cybersecurity, manufacturing, biotechnology and other areas that are increasingly tied to university research and workforce skills. Raman joins the agency from Purdue University in Indiana, where he became John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering in February 2023. He had been at Purdue since 2000, starting as an assistant professor before becoming Robert V. Adams Professor of Engineering in 2012. His research background includes atomic force microscopy, human biomechanics and electronics manufacturing. NIST says Raman has also collaborated with its researchers in nanotechnology. Standards role covers AI and emerging technology As NIST director, Raman will oversee work with industry, academia and government agencies on measurement, technology and standards for U.S. products and services. NIST says his role will include steering research and development that supports science-based standards, as well as work applying AI to semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing. “We are excited to have Dr. Arvind Raman join Commerce as NIST’s new director,” says U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard 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.” Raman says: “NIST is one of America’s most important science institutions thanks to its unique mission and the expertise of its employees. 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.” Purdue record links research and engineering education At Purdue, Raman led one of the largest engineering programs in the U.S. NIST says Purdue now grants more engineering degrees annually than any other university and receives more applications for engineering majors than any other university. NIST also says Purdue Engineering 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 while holding tuition frozen for 14 years. During Raman’s time as dean, Purdue Engineering’s U.S. News research ranking rose over three years to the top four in the country in 2026, with record research expenditure and philanthropic funding. He was named a Purdue University Faculty Scholar in 2008, elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 2012 and elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2026.